How does the material infrastructure of the Internet shape the ways we think, know, and imagine the future? On the occasion of researcher Jess Auerbach Jahajeeah’s residency at the Institute, a public conference followed by a roundtable discussion explores the geopolitical, technical, and epistemological stakes of digital futures.
4:30 pm – 6:00 pm
Institut d'études avancées de Nantes
Amphithéatre
Open to the public
Conference in English
Roundtable in English and French
No interpretation provided
As part of her research residency at the Institute in December 2025 and January 2026, researcher Jess Auerbach Jahajeeah will give a public conference followed by a roundtable discussion, focusing on contemporary knowledge infrastructures and the digital futures they make possible—or impossible.
A specialist in the relationships between technologies, knowledge, and political imaginaries, Jess Auerbach Jahajeeah approaches the Internet not as an abstract or immaterial space, but through its physical foundations: submarine cables, networks, technical architectures, and engineering decisions. Her talk examines how these infrastructures profoundly shape today’s knowledge environment, influencing what can be thought, known, shared, or rendered invisible.
Drawing on ethnographic research conducted in Angola, Mauritius, South Africa, as well as aboard the Leon Thevenin, Africa’s only vessel dedicated to repairing submarine fiber-optic cables, the conference will highlight the geopolitical and territorial dimensions—both terrestrial and oceanic—of digital networks. It will show how thousands of seemingly minor technical choices help structure the global circulation of knowledge.
This reflection raises central questions: What kinds of knowledge do we produce today? Who are they designed for? What digital futures do we wish to build, and for whom? And, crucially, how can we imagine and build more inclusive and equitable knowledge infrastructures?
The event will open with an introduction by Sophie Halart, Director of the Institute, followed by a lecture by Jess Auerbach Jahajeeah presenting her research project. A roundtable discussion will then provide an opportunity to engage with the issues raised.
The conference and roundtable will be followed by a reception, offering a convivial moment to continue the conversation with the researcher and participants.
