Conférence INDL-MEA 1 « Perspectives du travail numérique au Moyen-Orient et en Afrique » — Le Caire, 28 mai 2024

The International Network on Digital Labor (INDL) and the Access to Knowledge for Development Center(A2K4D) at The American University in Cairo’s School of Business are excited to invite you to the inaugural conference of the Middle East and Africa(MEA) chapter of INDL titled “Digital Labor Perspectives from the Middle East and Africa.” Organized in collaboration with the International Labour Organization (ILO), the Digital Platform Labor (DiPLab) research initiative, the Weizenbaum Institut Berlin,and the Université française d’Égypte, this conference will be held on May 28, 2024, in Cairo, Egypt.

Rationale

Digital labor is at the heart of our evolving economies. To address the specific challenges and developments in the Middle East and Africa, we are launching a dedicated chapter of INDL.

This conference provides a unique platform to present research related to the MEA region, ongoing and/or burgeoning. The conference offers opportunities for scholars and practitioners to engage with topics such as platformization, automation, gig economy dynamics, and technology-mediated labor.

INDL-MEA will feature three tracks: one in Arabic, one in English, and one in French, reflecting the linguistic diversity of the region.

Topics

Submissions must bein reference to the MEA region, for instance: in perspective, case studies, or focus.

Topics may include, but are not limited to:

• Case studies examining platforms, gig economy workers, and online digital labor in MEA

• Exploring algorithmic management practices in work processes, recruiting, and HR in MEA

• Issues of gender, discrimination and inclusion for the MEA digital labor.

• Consequences of the shift to digital labor on workers, businesses, economies, and labor markets in MEA

• Effects of remote work and digital labor on employee well-being and productivity in MEA

• Policy responses to the rise of digital labor and automation in MEA, including regulatory measures and government intervention

• Strategies of organizing digital workers and managing geographically distributed workforces in MEA

• Intersectional perspectives on digital labor in MEA

• Exploring AI and digital labor through a decolonial lens in MEA

• Challenges posed by Generative AI to human labor in MEA