New Publication! |Towards a Critique of Techno-feudalism
New Open Access Essay: Towards a Critique of Techno-feudalism
Published in Nuovi Autoritarismi e Democrazie: Diritto, Istituzioni, Società, the essay critically reassesses the notion of techno-feudalism and its limits for understanding power in the digital sphere.
The essay “Per una critica del tecno-feudalesimo” (Towards a Critique of Techno-feudalism) has been published in Nuovi Autoritarismi e Democrazie: Diritto, Istituzioni, Società (NAD-DIS), Vol. 8 No. 1 (2026).
Taking the growing literature on techno-feudalism as its starting point, the contribution questions its premises and proposes a partial rethinking along three lines: the broader transformations of the digital sphere, the relationship between the state and digital corporations, and the entanglement of power and knowledge.
The essay is funded under the PRIN 2022 project “Digital Sovereignty in Comparative Perspective: State Authority, Corporate Power and Fundamental Rights in Cyberspace” (PRIN 2022KTTSBC), financed by NextGenerationEU.
Abstract
Over recent years, the literature on techno-feudalism has expanded considerably. Whilst taking as its point of departure an exegesis of that literature, this essay subjects its premises to scrutiny and proposes a partial rethinking that moves beyond it. The argument proceeds along three lines: (i) situating the notion within the broader transformations of the digital sphere; (ii) reconceptualising the relationship between the state and digital corporations; and (iii) examining the entanglement of power and knowledge that structures the techno-feudal configuration. In conclusion, the contribution offers a critical appraisal of the concept of techno-feudalism, highlighting its limitations and heuristic potential.
Rethinking techno-feudalism
The essay situates techno-feudalism within the transformations of the digital sphere, reconceptualises the relationship between the state and digital corporations, and examines how power and knowledge are entangled in the techno-feudal configuration.
In conclusion, it offers a critical appraisal of the concept, highlighting both its limitations and its heuristic potential.
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