Contemporary globalization has amplified inequalities across societies, exacerbating exploitative practices that affect both resources and people. Peripheral rural regions, in particular, bear the brunt of economic, social, and environmental marginalization. This paper introduces the concept of the “digital yeomanry” to reframe such conceptualisations within a historic framework. Drawing inspiration from the medieval yeomen – a self-reliant landholding class central to societal stability – and historical precedents of societal change, we argue that this concept can help reimagine remote communities as modern centres of decentralized innovation and socio-economic resilience.