Tools, Totems, and Totalities: The Modern Construction of Hegemonic Technology | Agenda Bookshop Skip to content
Selected Colleen Hoover Books at €9.99c | In-store & Online
Selected Colleen Hoover Books at €9.99c | In-store & Online
A01=Allen Batteau
A01=Christine Z. Miller
Age Group_Uncategorized
Age Group_Uncategorized
Author_Allen Batteau
Author_Christine Z. Miller
automatic-update
Category1=Non-Fiction
Category=HP
Category=JHM
Category=JHMC
Category=PDX
Category=TB
Category=TBX
COP=Singapore
Delivery_Pre-order
Language_English
PA=Not yet available
Price_€100 and above
PS=Forthcoming
softlaunch

Tools, Totems, and Totalities: The Modern Construction of Hegemonic Technology

English

By (author): Allen Batteau Christine Z. Miller

This book provides a critical perspective on technology, answering the questions of why technologies often disappoint. It takes a sociotechnical and historical perspective on technology, as developed by an engineeranthropologist and a design anthropologist, to answer questions not only about why modern societies have great expectations of technology, but also of why these technologies often fail to meet expectations. Modern societies often search for technological solutions (technofixes) to what are institutional problems, which include border crossings or urban mobility, or improvements in productivity or improved communication. It is disappointing when technofixes, whether border walls or driverless cars or social media, fail to live up to their promises of greater personal autonomy (such as afforded by driverless cars) or improved social harmony through social media. Examining technology from the perspectives of instrumentality (tools), identity (totems), and world-defining systems (totalities) develops a comprehensive perspective that is at once historically informed and cross-culturally accurate. Although instrumentality is obvious and is at the core of any understanding of technology, identity is less so; yet many modern tribes create their identity in terms of technological objects and systems, whether transport systems (cars and airplanes) or social media or weapons (guns). Further, modern technologies span the globe, so that they exert imperative coordination over distant populations; the use of cell phones around the world is testimony to this fact. Such a critical perspective on technology can be useful in policy discussions of numerous issues affecting contemporary institutions.

See more
Current price €110.69
Original price €122.99
Save 10%
A01=Allen BatteauA01=Christine Z. MillerAge Group_UncategorizedAuthor_Allen BatteauAuthor_Christine Z. Millerautomatic-updateCategory1=Non-FictionCategory=HPCategory=JHMCategory=JHMCCategory=PDXCategory=TBCategory=TBXCOP=SingaporeDelivery_Pre-orderLanguage_EnglishPA=Not yet availablePrice_€100 and abovePS=Forthcomingsoftlaunch

Will deliver when available. Publication date 17 Dec 2024

Product Details
  • Dimensions: 155 x 235mm
  • Publication Date: 17 Dec 2024
  • Publisher: Springer Verlag Singapore
  • Publication City/Country: Singapore
  • Language: English
  • ISBN13: 9789819787074

Customer Reviews

Be the first to write a review
0%
(0)
0%
(0)
0%
(0)
0%
(0)
0%
(0)
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue we'll assume that you are understand this. Learn more
Accept