Localising surveillance capitalism: caste, data, and power in Samit Basu’s Chosen Spirits

Published in Arts & Humanities

Go to the profile of AMAN DEEP SINGH
AMAN DEEP SINGH
Assistant professor , Nirma University
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Palgrave Macmillan UK
Palgrave Macmillan UK Palgrave Macmillan UK

Localising surveillance capitalism: caste, data, and power in Samit Basu’s Chosen Spirits - Humanities and Social Sciences Communications

Humanities and Social Sciences Communications - Localising surveillance capitalism: caste, data, and power in Samit Basu’s Chosen Spirits

Our paper analyses Samit Basu’s "Chosen Spirits" as a literary exploration of surveillance capitalism's techno-economic logic. Using Shoshana Zuboff’s framework, we argue that the novel illustrates how human experience is transformed into raw material for data extraction, prediction, and monetisation. Set in a near-future Delhi, the narrative depicts a society where algorithmic systems and biometric technologies dominate daily life through continuous data collection. The study highlights how Basu’s fictional world, with elements like the Flowverse platform and AI assistants, exemplifies Zuboff’s concept of instrumentarian power. Read the full paper here.

Go to the profile of AMAN DEEP SINGH
AMAN DEEP SINGH
Assistant professor , Nirma University

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Humanities and Social Sciences > Literature > Literature and Technology
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