Digital Hegemony and Cultural Resistance: AI and the Crisis of Belonging in Iraqi Narratives
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25130/jfa.conf.10.5.14Keywords:
Digital Hegemony, Artificial Intelligence, Cultural Resistance, Iraqi Narratives, Identity CrisisAbstract
This study examines the intersection of digital hegemony, artificial intelligence, and cultural dissent in contemporary Iraqi narratives. This study argues that the expansion of AI technologies reproduces forms of intellectual hegemony that parallel analogous earlier structures of imperial domination, which ultimately compound crises of generative identity among Iraqi communities. By situating this discussion within postcolonial theory and critical cultural studies, the study demonstrates how algorithmic regimes reconfigure the politics of identity and representation. Gramsci developed the concept of hegemony that underpins the analysis of digital dominance. Said’s critique of Orientalism and Bhabha's hybridity are used to interpret forms of resistance. The situation in Iraq, exile, war, and fragmented identities, reveals a unique perspective on the struggle of cultural production against technological homogenization. Based on readings of Iraqi literature, cinema, and digital art, the study considers resistive strategies including memory as reclamation, hybrid narrative modes, and creative repurposing of AI tools. The study introduces the concept of “cultural sovereignty in the digital age,” calling for the localization of ethically guided AI practices. This contribution argues that Iraqi narratives do not only respond to digital hegemony but actively construct counter-discourses that transfigure belonging and identity. By connecting AI research to postcolonial Iraqi criticism, the work opens a new theoretical perspective that contributes to debates on digital colonialism and cultural sovereignty.
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