In recent months, CLCF co-lead Rafael Grohmann travelled to the UK to take part in three significant events that centred digital labour from Majority World perspectives.

At the Oxford Internet Institute, Grohmann participated in the Global Southing Internet, Data and AI Studies workshop, where he also served on the organising committee. His presentation, “Platform Dependency: Towards a Marxist Theory of Dependency Approach”, critically examined how current platform studies invoke the concept of “dependency” without fully addressing its theoretical foundations. Drawing on a systematic literature review, he identified three dominant dimensions of dependency in platform scholarship: economic, infrastructural, and affordance-based. Building on this, Grohmann proposed Latin American Marxist Dependency Theory as an alternative lens through which to understand platform dependency. He concluded by reflecting on how debates around sovereignty and autonomy must be understood dialectically, in relation to historical and geopolitical forms of dependency.

Images courtesy of Rafael Grohmann

In March, Grohmann was also invited to deliver a guest talk titled Pedagogies of Struggles: Workers Failing and Learning to Govern Platforms in Latin America, held at Pelican House in London and co-organised by the University of Essex, the Centre for Commons Organising Values Equalities and Resilience (COVER), and Autonomy. Moderated by Professor Phoebe Moore, the event explored the political and pedagogical dimensions of digital labour struggles in Latin America. Grohmann’s presentation focused on how workers in Brazil and Argentina, through cooperatives, unions, and grassroots collectives, are experimenting with governing technologies “from below.”

Images courtesy of Rafael Grohmann

In May, Grohmann returned to London to co-organize the Platforms Without Borders workshop alongside James Muldoon, Denise Kasparian, Andrea Pollio, Lin Zhang, and Marc Steinberg. Hosted at SPACE4, the two-day event brought together 25 early-career researchers from across the globe, especially from the Majority World, to foster peer mentorship, methodological development, and networking. Among the sessions, Grohmann co-facilitated a workshop with Denise Kasparian focused on “alternative research outputs,” encouraging participants to explore videos, comics, and other non-traditional scholarly formats. The workshop also included modules on publishing strategies, book proposals, ethically engaged research, and navigating geopolitical contexts, all within a supportive, collaborative environment.

Whether through re-theorizing platform dependency, engaging with critical pedagogies on digital labour, or nurturing emerging scholars across geographies, these events highlight the foundational work needed to build critical futures in digital studies.