Posthuman Citizenship: Rethinking Political Subjectivity in Data-Driven Societies

Abstract

This study explored posthuman citizenship, a concept that reflects the transformation of political subjectivity in data-driven societies. It examined how data infrastructures mediate belonging, recognition, and participation in contemporary governance regimes. The paper synthesised posthumanist theory, digital sociology, and political philosophy to examine how citizens are increasingly defined by machinic legibility rather than self-determination. Case studies include automated welfare systems, biometric border technologies, and algorithmic voter profiling. The study argued that posthuman citizenship necessitates a rethinking of democratic values, justice, and accountability in light of hybrid human-machine political ecologies. This study contributed to an emerging discourse on how the political is being renegotiated in a world where human boundaries are no longer stable.