Muted Voices : The Recovery of Democracy in the Shaping of Technology

This Book Flows From A Struggle To Hear The Muted Voices Of Those Who Would Be Participants In The Shaping Of Their Own Lives As This Occurs Through Technology, But Who Have Been Silenced Either Actively Or By Their Own Reticence In The Face Of The Eagerness Of Others To Speak. Two Ethnographic Studies Are Presented, One Of A Loosely Termed Antinuclear Group, The Second Of The Home Power Movement, With Its Embrace Of Photovoltaic (solar Cell), Small Wind, And Micro-hydroelectric Power Systems In Individual Homes. Listening Differently, These Studies Offer Both Insight Into Other Ways Of Being In The World, And New Guidance Toward A Recovery Of Democracy In The Shaping Of Technology For The Future.--jacket. Pt. I. The Alliance: Alternative Value Commitments And The Shaping Of Technology. 1. The Alliance As A Group. 2. Alliance Members As Individuals. 3. Interpretation And Significance -- Pt. Ii. Home Power: A Model For Participatory Democracy In Technology Decision Making. 4. The Home Power Movement. 5. Home Power As Participatory Research. 6. Origins And Explanations. 7. Distinctive Patterns. 8. A Theoretical Perspective. 9. The Challenge Of Home Power: Toward A More Democratic Shaping Of Technology. 10. A Brief Epilogue. Jesse S. Tatum. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 171-182) And Index. "This book flows from a struggle to hear the muted voices of those who would be participants in the shaping of their own lives as this occurs through technology, but who have been silenced either actively or by their own reticence in the face of the eagerness of others to speak. Two ethnographic studies are presented, one of a loosely termed antinuclear group, the second of the "home power" movement, with its embrace of photovoltaic (solar cell), small wind, and micro-hydroelectric power systems in individual homes. Listening differently, these studies offer both insight into other ways of being in the world, and new guidance toward a recovery of democracy in the shaping of technology for the future."--BOOK JACKET.