The Department of Applied Information Systems at the University of Johannesburg invites you to a virtual discussion by Dr Ian Moll entitled: The myth, and the ideology, of the Fourth Industrial Revolution
DATE: 5 October 2021
TIME: 15:00 – 17:00
VENUE: Zoom
Click here to join the meeting: https://zoom.us/j/95260909528
Dr Ian Moll will be the speaker at this event, whilst RIA’s executive director, Dr Alison Gillwald, will be one of two panelists joining him to present their perspectives on the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). The other panelist speaking at this event is Dr Mondli Hlatshwayo of the University of Johannesburg.
Dr Moll’s presentation will suggest that there is no such phenomenon as a 4IR. He argues, “Any socioeconomic transformation, to be considered an Industrial Revolution in historical terms, must encompass a technological revolution, a transformation of the labour process, a fundamental change in workplace relations, new forms of community and social relationships, and global socioeconomic transformations. However, in the current conjuncture, there is sparse evidence, locally and globally, of any such revolution across the totality of social, political, cultural and economic institutions”.
Meanwhile Dr Gillwald argues that South Africa needs a new digital deal rather than a 4IR policy. Read more about this in a book chapter she produced for the MISTRA publication Leap 4.0: African Perspectives on the Fourth Industrial Revolution. You might also be interested in reading Dr Gillwald’s op-ed published by the Business Day, 4IR in SA is too important to remain in the domain of the elite. Finally, RIA has also hosted a public lecture, Unpacking the Fourth Industrial Revolution. You can listen to a recording of that lecture here.
