History and Past Activities
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History and Past Activities |
Reiner Grundmann
Aston University
Aston Business School
Birmingham B4 7ET
England
Tel. +44-121-359 3611 ext. 5250
e-mail: r.grundmann@aston.ac.uk
Is technology a legitimate object for social theory?
Social theory and technology seem to be unlikely bedfellows. While there are few contemporary social theorists doing genuine research on technologies, and many sociologists who do so, the former are not inclined to include the latter among their number. There seems to be a class of legitimate objects which can be studied by social theorists and technology does not seem to belong to that class.
This paper starts with the simplifying assumption that technology has been conceptualized by contemporary authors basically along two lines: a materialist concept based on evolutionary theory (Dosi et al.) and the priority of artefacts (Hughes et al)—or at least their equal conceptual standing as in Actor Network Theory—, and an idealist concept based on notions of power and knowledge (social constructivism, Social Systems Theory). Both approaches come together in their interest in the question of how technology can be influenced or controlled, thus the issue of a ‘Critique of Political Technology’ looms large (although Social Systems Theory is an exception here). From Ure and Marx onwards, there has been a recurring interest in the question if technology has politics.
But both conceptions are different in that materialist approaches seem to suggest that technology has an inertia, momentum or trajectory which makes human intervention difficult if not unlikely. Idealist approaches, by contrast, by and large eschew any interest in the embodied character of technology and are more interested in the application of knowledge and causality to technical things, and the role of political power to influence technical designs.
I shall examine recent empirical studies by scholars of technology. My guess is twofold: first that there is a preponderance of research on knowledge intensive technologies (computer, biotechnology etc.). and second that there is a link between the empirical focus and the conceptualization of technology. Authors which have examined knowledge based technologies are more likely to take an idealist position whereas authors which have examined more traditional technologies are more likely to emphasize their durability and physical properties. If it is true that theorizing in the field of technology studies is data driven, the low status of technology studies within social theory could be explained.
Sociology of Science and Technology NETwork - last update: April 2006