Digital Discrimination Against Historically Marginalized Groups in Ethiopia and India

Abstract

Why 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.