The SSL ‘Book of the Month’ feature highlights a book in our collection that has been chosen by one of our Subject Consultants. This may be a recent addition to our stock or an existing item that we would like to share with you.
February’s Book of the Month was selected by John Southall, Bodleian Data Librarian and Subject Consultant for Economics and Sociology.
Open secrecy: how technology empowers the digital underworld
Isak Ladegaard
University of California Press, 2025
It was chosen because of the way it employs sociological and empirical analysis to describe how contemporary information technology expands the digital underworld, generating new social practices and movements.
Book Overview
This book examines technology in relation to three ‘digital underworlds’; drug trading on the darknet; groups developing technologies to evade state censorship; and digitally networked far-right movements. By conducting a cross-cutting analysis of these seemingly disparate phenomena, the author proposes the concept of “open secrecy,” where the seemingly contradictory forces of “secrecy” and “openness” intertwined to produce new social forms.
Ladegaard presents many insights into contemporary digital society, sketching a portrait of the freedoms and vulnerabilities generated by technological progress, the limits of state and corporate control, and the emergence of new social practices. These themes are explored through meticulous data analysis and rich qualitative materials. While the book is indispensable for readers in sociology, information society studies, and political science, its significance extends well beyond these fields.
Reviews
“A compelling work for anyone seeking to fundamentally rethink the nature of control in the digital age and the evolving relationship between the state, corporations, and civil society.”
Haruhi Abe, International Criminal Justice Review
“Compared to the many qualitative and journalistic studies of these groups, Ladegaard’s work stands out for the range and depth of his data collection”
Sam DiBella, LSE Review of Books
How can I access it?
We have one lending copy of this book, which is located on our New Books Display Area (around the corner from our Issue Desk). Its shelfmark is HV6773.LAD 2025.
What would your SSL Book of the Month be? Do you have a favourite book in our collection? If so, we would love to know what it is. Add a comment below or email us.