Skip navigation
  • Home
  • Browse
    • Communities
      & Collections
    • Browse Items by:
    • Publication Date
    • Author
    • Title
    • Subject
    • Department
  • Sign on to:
    • My MacSphere
    • Receive email
      updates
    • Edit Profile


McMaster University Home Page
  1. MacSphere
  2. Open Access Dissertations and Theses Community
  3. Open Access Dissertations and Theses
Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/11375/32491
Full metadata record
DC FieldValueLanguage
dc.contributor.advisorTan, Netina-
dc.contributor.authorBeny, Helen-
dc.date.accessioned2025-10-08T15:14:03Z-
dc.date.available2025-10-08T15:14:03Z-
dc.date.issued2025-
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11375/32491-
dc.description.abstractWhy are Internet shutdowns rising in Ethiopia and India? How are ethno-religious secessionist movements suppressed? This dissertation adopts structural institutionalism to explain how historically marginalized groups in Ethiopia (Oromo) and India (Jammu and Kashmir) are primarily targeted by the government to quell successionist movements. It finds that regional Internet shutdowns are not simply short-term authoritarian government responses to political challenges but rather the result of a much longer history of discrimination, which can exist in both democracies and autocracies. Process tracing of past policies and critical junctures in Ethiopia to show that structural and ethno-religious inequality, as well as regional Internet shutdowns, are used to target secessionist movements and reinforce the inequities. Building on the conceptual framework of digital discrimination, I analyze the implications of regional Internet shutdowns on historically marginalized groups in Ethiopia and India. I argue that structural inequalities contribute to the institutionalization of digital discrimination against ethno-religious minorities. My findings show that while federalism and power-sharing agreements were adopted to address past grievances, they are unhelpful in alleviating ethno-religious inequalities. Drawing from both qualitative and quantitative data, including semi-structured interviews, cross-country data, and secondary literature, my findings show that while federalism and power-sharing agreements were adopted to address past grievances, they are unhelpful in alleviating ethno-religious inequalities. In fact, both governments exploit the institutional organizations of the state to target historically marginalized groups and worsen digital discrimination. Moreover, non-state actors such as Internet service providers (ISPs) are also constrained by structural conditions and complied with shutdown orders with minimal resistance, despite their ownership structure. This dissertation finds that despite Ethiopia’s brief liberalization, the government continues to repress the Oromo people. On the other hand, India is moving towards authoritarianism, with rising inequality and self-censorship. Analyzing through the digital discrimination lens enables us to observe the distinct socio-economic impacts of regional Internet shutdowns on the people of Oromo and Jammu and Kashmir, particularly women, who are impacted in areas such as employment, resources, health services, and human security.en_US
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.subjectDigital repressionen_US
dc.subjectDigital authoritarianismen_US
dc.subjectDigital discriminationen_US
dc.subjectInternet shutdownsen_US
dc.subjectminority communitiesen_US
dc.titleDigital Discrimination Against Historically Marginalized Groups in Ethiopia and Indiaen_US
dc.typeThesisen_US
dc.contributor.departmentPolitical Scienceen_US
dc.description.degreetypeThesisen_US
dc.description.degreeDoctor of Philosophy (PhD)en_US
dc.description.layabstractWhy are Internet shutdowns increasing in Ethiopia and India? How are ethno-religious secessionist movements suppressed? This dissertation uses a structural institutionalism perspective to explain how marginalized groups in Ethiopia (Oromo) and India (Jammu and Kashmir) are primarily targeted by governments to suppress secessionist movements. It shows that regional Internet shutdowns are not just short-term authoritarian responses but stem from a long history of discrimination, present in both democracies and autocracies. The study examines the effects of these shutdowns on marginalized communities, arguing that entrenched inequalities foster digital discrimination against ethno-religious minorities. Findings suggest that although federalism and power-sharing were intended to address past inequalities, they are ineffective in reducing ethno-religious disparities. Instead, governments manipulate state institutions to target marginalized groups and intensify digital discrimination. Additionally, internet service providers (ISPs), constrained by structural factors, generally comply with shutdown orders with little resistance, regardless of ownership. Analyzing these issues through digital discrimination reveals distinct socio-economic impacts on Oromo and Jammu and Kashmir residents, especially women, affecting employment, resources, health, and security.en_US
Appears in Collections:Open Access Dissertations and Theses

Files in This Item:
File Description SizeFormat 
Beny_Helen_202510_PhD.pdf
Embargoed until: 2026-10-05
3.74 MBAdobe PDFView/Open
Show simple item record Statistics


Items in MacSphere are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.

Sherman Centre for Digital Scholarship     McMaster University Libraries
©2022 McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4L8 | 905-525-9140 | Contact Us | Terms of Use & Privacy Policy | Feedback

Report Accessibility Issue