Data Empire

From clay tablets to the algorithmic state, a groundbreaking new lens on human history arguing that information has always been the seed of power. Perfect for readers of Nexus and The Age of Surveillance Capitalism. Historians have pointed to guns, germs, steel, religion, agriculture, and the female body as the engines of human history. But what do they all have in common? Every human approach to power has involved collecting data-from tracking where and how long animals live to sharpen the hunt, to classifying our fellow humans in order to stratify, isolate, and subjugate them. Recording and mastering data has always been the foundation of rule-and we are living through it now, too. In Data Empire, Roopika Risam uncovers the hidden history of data as a force that has shaped civilizations. From ancient cave markings and knotted strings to colonial censuses and modern digital surveillance, Risam shows how data has always been a means of control. Empire may have made use of weapons or ships, but it was built on information. Both a sweeping history and a sharp critique, Data Empire is a call to recognize the power data has always held, and to imagine what resistance looks like in an age defined by it. The story of empire is the story of data-and knowing its past is the first step to breaking its grip on the future.

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Roopika Risam is Professor of Digital Humanities and Social Engagement, and Provost Leadership Fellow for AI Strategy at Dartmouth. Her research explores how histories of race, empire, and technology shape the modern world. She is the author of New Digital Worlds: Postcolonial Digital Humanities in Theory, Praxis, and Pedagogy, taught in over 150 universities worldwide, and co-editor of four collections, including Anti-Racist Community Engagement and The Digital Black Atlantic. Risam is past president of the Association for Computers and the Humanities, the U.S. scholarly organization for digital research in the humanities.

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A BARACK OBAMA, NEW SCIENTIST AND NPR PICK

Data shaped empires. Now it's shaping our future. A groundbreaking 11,000 year global history from clay tablets to the algorithmic state, perfect for readers of Nexus and The Age of Surveillance Capitalism.

'The new history of mankind demanded by our times' Jaron Lanier, author of Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Right Now

'Breathtaking in its scope and enormously fulfilling in its depth' Lewis Dartnell, author of Being Human

From targeted advertising to mass surveillance, data shapes the course of our lives. How did it gain the power it now holds over us?

Since the dawn of civilization, people gained power by keeping count. From ancient censuses to maps and ledgers, data decided who belonged, who owed, and who could be sacrificed. Today, a handful of private brokers increasingly define what we see and what is real.

Provocative, humane and sweeping in scope, Data Empire challenges us to decide whether we will allow a new set of data empires to hardwire inequality into the next century, or fight for the benefit of all. It's time to decide. Will technology serve democracy or replace it?

'Essential reading for understanding the opportunities and dangers of the technological revolution now transforming our world' Jonathan Kennedy, author of Pathogenesis

'This brilliant, readable book offers a striking new historical perspective' Corinne Fowler, author of Our Island Stories