| This research programme investigates the relations between mobility, communication technologies and social space. New Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) have been hailed as an opportunity for marginalized areas to become active participants in the 'global village'. In an opposite view, it is feared that the introduction of ICTs will only lead to an increase in social inequalities. Hitherto little research has been done on the actual impact of new ICTs on social relations and the views on these technologies from people from 'marginal' areas. This project seeks to interpret the influence of new ICTs in the context of earlier technological innovations, and histories of mobility and 'marginality'. Research will be carried out on a comparative basis in remote areas in Africa, through surveying, interviewing and archival research. The project combines various disciplines (Anthropology, History, Communication Studies) and several research institutes (ASC-Leiden, CODESRIA-Dakar, and country specific research institutes in Africa). |
