Professor Stefan Klein and Dr. Simeon Vidolov present their paper, \"Techno-colonization of scholarly communication: A call to reclaim control\".
This paper contributes to wider research into how extractive publishing systems have colonized scholarly communication to gain not only infrastructural control but increasingly epistemic control as well. For far too long, big publishing companies have trapped academics in a vicious circle of parasitic business models employing monopolistic pricing and arbitrary gate-keeping where researchers provide the labour, only for corporate giants to end up owning the published element of scientific intellectual property (often publicly funded) and consequently, control the visibility of research outputs. These companies have moved beyond publishing; they are now providers of critical, AI and data-analytics enabled research infrastructures. They are reshaping scientific knowledge production, academic values and increasingly claim epistemic authority.
That such a system can be used to publish research so critical of its inherent structure is both ironic and potentially positive. The authors call for each of us to reject the role of passive participant in our own exploitation. They conclude by calling for us to devise ways to dismantle these corporate infrastructures and reclaim the autonomy of the scientific community. Whether you are a student, a researcher, or a faculty member, join us to discuss how we can build a future for academia that prioritises collective knowledge over commercial surveillance.
The underlying paper(s) are both Open Access, links below:
· Vidolov, S., & Klein, S. (2026). Techno-colonization of scholarly communication: A call to reclaim control. Organization, Article 13505084261416192. https://doi.org/10.1177/13505084261416192
· Ngwenyama, O., Klein, S., & Rowe, F. (2026). Platform Capture of Scientific Knowledge Production: Publishers’ Dominance, Generative AI and Subsumption of Academic Labor. European Journal of Information Systems (EJIS). https://doi.org/10.1080/0960085X.2026.2642660
Biographies
Simeon Vidolov is a Faculty Member in the J.E. Cairnes School of Business at the University of Galway. His research examines how digital technologies transform ways of working and organizing, with a focus on embodied and affective experiences. His work challenges dominant narratives of technological progress and interrogates the harmful and often normalized consequences of contemporary digital infrastructures for individuals, organizations, and society.
Stefan Klein is Professor emeritus for Interorganizational Systems at the School of Business and Economics, University of Münster, Germany. His main research areas are information infrastructures, the transformation of work, risks of digitalization, and digital capitalism. He studies practices of technology use and organizational transformation from an individual to an industry level.
The event was held on 6 May 2026 in University College Dublin, Ireland.
Acknowledgements
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