From the everyday and unnoticed to the newsworthy and cutting edge, technology is undoubtedly a fundamental element of our daily lives. While saving us time and effort, it can also shape our environment, mediate our relationships, and simultaneously solve problems and create new ones. In studying technology we gain an insight into how society
is constructed, maintained and transformed.
Unravelling and explaining the complex connections between technology and the social contexts in which it is used, Technology and Social Theory guides the reader through 150 years of thinking in this ever evolving field. The chapters critically evaluate a broad range of theorists, from Marx to Foucault, Orwell to Elias, alongside empirical examples which show theory in action. The significance of technology is assessed within both public spheres and intimate spaces, shedding light on its integral role in society.
Showing how theory maps the way for further research, and in turn how new advances in research can inform theory, this book is invaluable reading for students and researchers in Sociology, Social theory, Science and Technology Studies and the Media.
- 219 pages
- English
- PDF
- Available on iOS & Android
eBook - PDF
Technology and Social Theory
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Table of contents
- Cover
- Title
- Copyright
- Dedication
- Contents
- Series Foreword
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- 1 Theorizing Technology
- 2 Marx, Modernity and the Machine
- 3 Constructing the Modern: Human-Built World
- 4 The Politics of Artifacts
- 5 The Social Construction of Technology
- 6 The Sociotechnical Construction of Society: Actor-Network Theory
- 7 Left to Our Own Devices: Subjective Machines
- 8 Objective Life: Things and Social Theory
- Conclusion: We Have Always Been Posthuman
- Bibliography
- Index
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Yes, you can access Technology and Social Theory by Steve Matthewman in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Social Sciences & Sociology. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.