HOLBERG PRIZE WINNER: Achille Mbembe's books all revolve around how the people in post-colonial states are kept down and marginalized. But also about how democracy today does not work because threats, violence and murder keep people away from the public sphere, from debates, from being able to say what you think for fear of losing your job, being put in prison or killed.
SURVEILLANCE:State surveillance would not have been possible without the services of Silicon Valley's technology companies. For example, Google in Surveillance Valley is described as "a full-fledged military contractor, who sold versions of the company's consumer data and analytics technology to police departments, city councils, and major U.S. intelligence and military organizations."