School of Social and Political Science

Research interests

Qualifications

Ph.D. Anthropology & History, University of Michigan

M.Phil Sociology (Development Studies), University of Cape Town

B.S.F.S. Science, Technology & International Affairs, Georgetown University

Selected Publications

Books

Money, Value, and the State: Sovereignty and Citizenship in East Africa (Cambridge University Press, 2024).

Edited collections

"Capitalizing Africa," a special forum in Africa 92(4) (2022). Edited with James C. Mizes. 

“Surveillance in Africa,” a special forum in African Studies Review 59(2) 2016. Edited with Philippe M. Frowd and A.K. Martin.

Peer reviewed articles and chapters

“Disciplining Citizens & Commodities: Economic Crimes & Accusations in 1970s Uganda” The Journal of African History (forthcoming, 2024)

“Privacy, Privation, and Person: Data, Debt, and Infrastructured Personhood,” in Richard Rottenburg et al. (eds.) Translating Technology in Africa, Volume 1: Metrics (Brill, 2024): 55-78. (w/ Emma Park)

"Uhuru Sasa! Federal Futures and Liminal Sovereignty in Decolonizing East Africa," Comparative Studies in Society & History 65(2) (2023). https://doi.org/10.1017/S0010417522000500

“Capitalizing Africa: High Finance from Below,” Africa: Journal of the International Africa Institute 92(4) (2022) (w/ James Christopher Mizes). https://doi.org/10.1017/S0001972022000444

"Knowledge/Seizure: Debt & Data in Kenya's Zero Balance Economy," Antipode 54(4) (w/ Emma Park). https://doi.org/10.1111/anti.12815

"Algorithmic Intimacy: The Data Economy of Predatory Inclusion," Social Anthropology 30(2) (w/ Emma Park). https://doi.org/10.3167/saas.2022.300208

"Magendo: Arbitrage & Ambiguity in an East African Frontier." Cultural Anthropology 36(1): 110-137. (PDF)

“The Rise of the Randomistas: On the Experimental Turn in Development Aid.” Economy & Society 47(1): 27-58. (pre-publication PDF download)

“‘Financial Inclusion Means Your Money Isn’t With You’ – The Conflict Over Social Grants and Financial Services in South Africa.” In Bill Maurer, Smoki Musaraj, and Ivan Small (eds.) Money at the Margins: Global Perspectives on Technology, Financial Inclusion & Design. Berghahn Books. (2018) (pre-publication version)

“Surveillance in Africa: Politics, Histories, Techniques.” African Studies Review 59(2). (September 2016) (with Philippe M. Frowd and A.K. Martin) (open access version)

“Infrastructuring Aid: Materializing Humanitarianism in Northern Kenya.” Environment & Planning D: Society & Space 33(4): 732-748. (August 2015) (open access version) (accompanying blog post)

“The Biometric Imaginary: Bureaucratic Technopolitics in Post-Apartheid Welfare.” Journal of Southern African Studies 41(4): 815-833. (2015) (open access version)

“Mobile Money.” In A.P. Hwa and R. Mansell (Eds.) Encyclopedia of Digital Communication & Society. London: John Wiley Inc. (2015)

“New Surveillance Technologies and Their Publics: A Case of Biometrics.” Public Understanding of Science 24(7): 842-857. (October 2015) (with A.K. Martin) (open access version)

“‘Development’ as if We Have Never Been Modern: Fragments of a Latourian Development Studies.” Development & Change 45(5) (September 2014) (open access version)

“The Rise of African SIM Registration: The Emerging Dynamics of Regulatory Change.” First Monday 19, 1-2 (February 2014) (with A.K. Martin)

“Mobile Money, More Freedom? The Impact of M-PESA’s Network Power on Development as Freedom.” International Journal of Communication 6, 2647-2669. (2012)

“Mobile Money & Financial Inclusion: Growth, Impact & Emerging Issues.” In Information & Communication for Development 2012. Washington, D.C.: World Bank. (2012)

“Seeing Like a Slum: Towards Open, Deliberative Development.” Georgetown Journal of International Affairs. Winter/Spring 2012. (pp. 97-104). (2012)

“Anywhere, Anytime – Mobile Devices and Their Impact on Agriculture and Rural Development.” In ICT in Agriculture Sourcebook (pp. 49-70). Washington, D.C.: World Bank. (2012)

“A note on the availability (and importance) of pre-paid mobile data in Africa.” In J. Svensson & G. Wicander (Eds.), 2nd International Conference on Mobile Communication Technology for Development (M4D2010) (pp. 263-267). Karlstad, Sweden: Karlstad University. (2010) (with Jonathan Donner)

Other Writing

"Costly Propositions," New Left Review Sidecar 18 August 2023.

"Microfinance's Imagined Utopias," Boston Review 31 January 2023.

"Colonizing the Future: Stuck in the Zero Balance Economy." Boston Review 28 September 2020.

"Kenyans Need a Basic Income Grant." The Star 3 April 2020 (w/ Robert Mwanyumba).

"Perpetual Debt in the Silicon Savannah." Boston Review 14 August 2019. (w/ Emma Park).

"Review of Transforming Sudan: Decolonization, Economic Development & State Formation by Alden Young." H-Diplo Roundtable Review Volume XX, No. 45. https://hdiplo.org/to/RT20-45 

“Between the Nation and the State.” Limn 7 Public Infrastructures/Infrastructural Publics. (w/ Emma Park).

“Review of How Our Days Became Numbered: Risk and the Rise of the Statistical Individual by Dan Bouk.” Journal of Cultural Economy, available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17530350.2016.1178659

“Review of Money from Nothing: Indebtedness and Aspiration in South Africa by Deborah James.” Allegra Lab (2015). 

“Privacy for the Other 5 Billion.” Slate (2013). (with Carly Nyst).

“The Responsibility of Mobile Money Intellectuals? A Review of (a) Due Diligence by Roodman, (b) Money, Real Quick by Omwansa and Sullivan, and (c) The End of Money by Wolman. Information Technology & International Development 9(1). (2013)

“SIM Registration and Financial Inclusion in the Silicon Savannah.” Institute for Money, Technology & Financial Inclusion. (2013)

“Surfing the Internet in Ghana: A Review of Invisible Users by Jenna Burrell.” Los Angeles Review of Books. (2012) (Accompanying blog post.)

Topics interested in supervising

African history; political, legal, and economic anthropology; states & bureaucracies; markets & capitalism; borders & smuggling; infrastructure; science & technology studies.

If you are interested in being supervised by Kevin Donovan, please see the links below (open in new windows) for more information:

• PhD in African Studies
• PhD in Science and Technology Studies
• PhD in Social Anthropology
• PhD in International Development
• MSc (R) African Studies
• MSc (R) Science and Technology Studies
• MSc (R) Social Anthropology