Does the Global South Need to Decolonise the Fourth Industrial Revolution?

Colonialism and coloniality play a pivotal role in modern economies, particularly in the Global South. One of the most important tools of economic oppression, industrialisation, has often benefitted the Global North at the expense of the Global South through expropriation and exploitation of colony resources. The fourth industrial revolution is no exception, although it has the potential to empower the Global South through decolonisation. Conversely, it could perpetuate renewed coloniality at the hands of the more developed parts of the Global South. This chapter contributes to the literature by (a) providing a concise and comprehensive history of global colonisation; (b) describing the extent to which (economic) coloniality prevails and is being renewed in the Global South, and (c) subsequently arguing for ways in which the Global South needs to break coloniality in order to reap the benefits of the fourth industrial revolution. South-South cooperation, particularly in less-developed parts of the Global South, using post-developmentalist and other strategies, are recommended in order for the Global South to reap the benefits of the fourth industrial revolution.