[Air-L] CfP Session on Emerging Methods and Approaches for Researching Internet Infrastructures, RGS-IBG 2026

[Finn Dammann]

Dear colleagues,

please find here a call for abstracts for a session on "*Emerging 
Methods and Approaches for Researching Internet Infrastructures* " at 
the Annual International Conference of the Royal Geographical 
Society/Institute of British Geographers 2026 (September 1-4, London). 
We would be pleased to receive contribution proposals from AoIR!


Best regards,

Finn Dammann & Louis Petiniaud

####

*Emerging Methods and Approaches for Researching Internet Infrastructures*

In recent years, various academic disciplines have developed a renewed 
interest in the geographies of Internet infrastructures. This has drawn 
attention to the often overlooked infrastructural conditions of data 
flows and their political embeddedness. For example, studies on the 
geographies of digital network interconnection discuss the importance of 
urban (colocation) data centres for international data traffic (Monstadt 
& Saltzman, 2025; Rosa, 2021), work on the geographies of submarine 
cables, landing stations and Internet shutdowns describe postcolonial 
path dependencies in transcontinental data flows (Dambrosio et al., 
2025; Grover, 2023; Mwema & Birhane, 2024;), studies on the geographies 
of network topologies reveal state measures of national data isolation 
or control (Douzet et al., 2022; Limonier et al., 2021; Salamatian et 
al., 2021), and work on the geographies of digital platforms discuss the 
close future of a spatially fragmented and simultaneously centralised 
(post-)Internet (Huston, 2023; Stocker et al., 2021). At the same time, 
one of the greatest challenges for critical social science research 
continues to be the challenging empirical and methodological approaches 
to these often „invisible“ geographies (Furlong, 2021). In this session, 
we therefore would like to bring together specific methodological and 
methodological-conceptual approaches for further research on Internet 
infrastructures. We are interested in both more ‘quantitative’ methods, 
such as those related to computer sciences and Internet measurements, 
and more ‘qualitative’ and ethnographic approaches, as well as methods 
for mapping physical Internet infrastructures. In addition, we welcome 
ideas for contributions that address broader methodological reflections 
or establish disciplinary historical references to research methods on 
Internet infrastructures.

Please send a 250-word abstract and a 50-word bio to finn.dammann at fau.de 
andl.petiniaud at gmail.com by 27th February 2026.


      Keywords:

Internet Infrastructures, Methods, Digital Geography, Internet 
Geographies, Cloud


*Literature*

Dambrosio, S., Díaz Bejarano, N., Duran Brand, C., & Thomley, L. (2025). 
>From Colonial Ruins to Digital Hub: The Grand Port Autonome de 
Marseille, a Tale of a Big Data Informal Empire in the Making. 
/Architectural Theory Review/, 1–20. 
https://doi.org/10.1080/13264826.2025.2522341

Douzet, F., Pétiniaud, L., Salamatian, K., & Samaan, J.-L. (2022). 
Digital routes and borders in the Middle East: The geopolitical 
underpinnings of Internet connectivity. /Territory, Politics, 
Governance/, 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1080/21622671.2022.2153726

Furlong, K. (2021). Geographies of infrastructure II: Concrete, cloud 
and layered (in)visibilities. /Progress in Human Geography/, /45/(1), 
190–198. https://doi.org/10.1177/0309132520923098

Grover, R. (2023). Contingent connectivity: Internet shutdowns and the 
infrastructural precarity of digital citizenship. /New Media & Society/, 
146144482311765. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448231176552

Huston, G. (2023, August 7). /On Internet Centrality and Fragmentation/. 
RIPE Labs. 
https://labs.ripe.net/author/gih/on-internet-centrality-and-fragmentation/

Limonier, K., Douzet, F., Pétiniaud, L., Salamatian, L., & Salamatian, 
K. (2021). Mapping the routes of the Internet for geopolitics: The case 
of Eastern Ukraine. /First Monday/. https://doi.org/10.5210/fm.v26i5.11700

Monstadt, J., & Saltzman, K. (2025). HOW DATA CENTERS HAVE COME TO 
MATTER : Governing the Spatial and Environmental Footprint of the 
‘Digital Gateway to Europe.’ /International Journal of Urban and 
Regional Research/, 1468-2427.13316. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-2427.13316

Mwema, E., & Birhane, A. (2024). Undersea cables in Africa: The new 
frontiers of digital colonialism. /First Monday/. 
https://doi.org/10.5210/fm.v29i4.13637

Rosa, F. R. (2021). Internet interconnection infrastructure: Lessons 
from the global south. /Internet Policy Review/, /10/(4). Scopus. 
https://doi.org/10.14763/2021.4.1583

Salamatian, L., Douzet, F., Salamatian, K., & Limonier, K. (2021). The 
geopolitics behind the routes data travel: A case study of Iran. 
/Journal of Cybersecurity/, /7/(1), tyab018. 
https://doi.org/10.1093/cybsec/tyab018

Stocker, V., Knieps, G., & Dietzel, C. (2021). The Rise and Evolution of 
Clouds and Private Networks – Internet Interconnection, Ecosystem 
Fragmentation. /SSRN Electronic Journal/. 
https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3910108

Warf, B. (2011). Geographies of global Internet censorship. 
/GeoJournal/, /76/(1), 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10708-010-9393-3







-- 
Dr. Finn Dammann
Institut für Geographie
Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg
https://www.geographie.fau.de/personen/finn-dammann/
www.geographie.nat.fau.de/en/ng-geographien-digitaler-infrastrukturen