The aim of this Research Section (RS) is to explore digital knowledge systems that are increasingly central to the making of (new) world orders, and their implications for Africa and for African Studies. This (RS) will build on critical analytical frameworks in African Studies to closely investigate material aspects and practices of digitalisation, including their implications for society at large. These material aspects include the labour required to mine minerals and maintain algorithmic systems, the extraction of data from people and environments, and the dumping of electronic waste. The RS will examine how the digital intersects with and inspires African creative expressions (orature, art), and how African knowledges inform contested concepts such as virtual, digital, and intelligent with new meanings, as well as new forms of cross-border interaction such as digital restitution and collaborations in university, museum and governmental contexts.