Microhistories of Technology

Making the World

Mikael Hård

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Hardback

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English

Palgrave Macmillan
21 February 2023

History: earliest times to present day; Colonialism & imperialism; Globalization; History of engineering & technology

Series: Palgrave Studies in the History of Science and Technology

In this open access book, Mikael Hård tells a story of how people around the world challenged the production techniques and products brought by globalization. Retaining their autonomy and freedom, creative individuals selectively adopted or rejected modern gadgets, tools, and machines. In standard historical narratives, globalization is portrayed as an unstoppable force that flattens all obstacles in its path. Modern technology is also seen as inexorable: in the nineteenth century, steamships, telegraph lines, and Gatling guns are said to have paved the way for colonialism and other forms of dominating people and societies. Later, shipping containers and computer networks purportedly pulled the planet deeper into a maelstrom of capitalism. Hård discusses instances that push back against these narratives. For example, in Soviet times, inhabitants of Samarkand, Uzbekistan, preferred to remain in—and expand—their own mud-brick houses rather than move into prefabricated, concreteresidential buildings. Similarly, nineteenth-century Sumatran carpenters ignored the saws brought to them by missionaries—and chose to chop down trees with their arch-bladed adzes. And people in colonial India successfully competed with capitalist-run Caribbean sugar plantations, continuing to produce their own muscovado and sell it to local consumers. This book invites readers to view the history of technology and material culture through the lens of diversity. Based on research funded by the European Research Council and conducted in the Global South, Microhistories of Technology: Making the World shows that the spread of modern technologies did not erase artisanal production methods and traditional tools.

By: Mikael Hård
Imprint: Palgrave Macmillan
Country of Publication: Switzerland
Edition: 1st ed. 2023
Dimensions: Height: 210mm, Width: 148mm,
Weight: 534g
ISBN: 9783031228124
ISBN 10: 303122812X
Series: Palgrave Studies in the History of Science and Technology
Pages: 290
Publication Date: 21 February 2023
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Mikael Hård is Professor of History of Technology at the Technical University of Darmstadt, Germany.

Reviews for Microhistories of Technology: Making the World

“In his book on microhistories of technology, Hard demonstrates the richness of technologies that individuals and communities across the world have used and, in part, continue to use in their everyday lives. … Each of the chapters presented in the book is so interesting that it would easily justify an entire book on the topic, and Hård makes an active effort to provide as much information on each phenomenon as possible.” (Corinna R. Unger, Technology and Culture, Vol. 65 (3), July, 2024)