The Social Construction of Technological Systems: New Directions in the Sociology and History of Technology (The MIT Press)

The impact of technology on society is clear and unmistakable. The influence of society on technology is more subtle. The 13 essays in this book draw on a wide array of case studies from cooking stoves to missile systems, from 15th?­century Portugal to today's AI labs - to outline an original research program based on a synthesis of ideas from the social studies of science and the history of technology. Together they affirm the need for a study of technology that gives equal weight to technical, social, economic, and political questions.Wiebe E. Bijker teaches in the Department of General Sciences at the University of Limburg in The Netherlands; Thomas P. Hughes is Professor of the History and Sociology of Science at the University of Pennsylvania, and Trevor Pinch is Lecturer in the Department of Sociology at the University of York in England The Impact Of Technology On Society Is Clear And Unmistakeable. The Influence Of Society On Technology Is More Subtle. The 13 Essays In This Book Have Been Written By A Diverse Group Of Scholars United By A Common Interest In Creating A New Field - The Sociology Of Technology. They Draw On A Wide Array Of Case Studies - From Cooking Stoves To Missile Systems, From 15th-century Portugal To Today's Al Labs - To Outline An Original Research Program Based On A Synthesis Of Ideas From The Social Studies Of Science And The History Of Technology. Together They Affirm The Need For A Study Of Technology That Gives Equal Weight To Technical, Social, Economic, And Political Questions--back Cover. The Social Construction Of Facts And Artifacts : Or How The Sociology Of Science And The Sociology Of Technology Might Benefit Each Other / Trevor J. Pinch, Wiebe E. Bijker -- The Evolution Of Large Technological Systems / Thomas P. Hughes -- Society In The Making : The Study Of Technology As A Tool For Sociological Analysis / Michel Callon -- Technology And Heterogeneous Engineering : The Case Of Portuguese Expansion / John Law -- The Nelson-winter-dosi Model And Synthetic Dye Chemistry / Henk Van Den Belt, Arie Rip -- The Social Construction Of Bakelite : Toward A Theory Of Invention / Wiebe E. Bijker -- Missile Accuracy : A Case Study In The Social Processes Of Technological Change / Donald Mackenzie -- (cont.) The Social Locus Of Technological Practice : Community, System, Or Organization? / Edward W. Constant Ii -- Regulatory Science And The Social Management Of Trust In Medicine / Henk J.h.w. Bodewitz, Henk Buurma, Gerard H. De Vries -- The Consumption Junction : A Proposal For Research Strategies In The Sociology Of Technology / Ruth Schwartz Cowan -- Seeing With Sound : A Study Of The Development Of Medical Images / Edward Yoxen -- Reconstructing Man And Machine : A Note On Sociological Critiques Of Cognitivism / Steve Woolgar -- Expert Systems And The Science Of Knowledge / H.m. Collins. Edited By Wiebe E. Bijker, Thomas P. Hughes, And Trevor J. Pinch. Papers Of A Workshop Held At The University Of Twente, The Netherlands, In July 1984. Includes Indexes. Bibliography: P. [349]-372. The 13 essays in this book draw on a wide array of case studies from cooking stoves to missile systems, from 15th century Portugal to today's AI labs - to outline an original research program based on a synthesis of ideas from the social studies of science and the history of technology The origin of this book can be traced back to the Burg Landsberg, an old castle crowning a steep hill in Deutschlandsberg, Austria.