
Technology and Social Theory
Steve Matthewman(Author)
Red Globe Press
Published on 2. September 2011
Book
Paperback/Softback
224 pages
978-0-230-57757-2 (ISBN)
Description
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.
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.
Reviews / Votes
'Matthewman's writing is clear, accessible and engaging and the text displays significant intellectual depth in providing such a rigorous, succinct and sophisticated analysis of a such wide body of literature. A useful addition to reading lists across STS, Sociology, Politics and Communications.' - David Mercer, Associate Professor, Convener of Science and Technology Studies, University of Wollongong, Australia 'A well informed and readable account of approaches to technology in sociological thought, organised in a clear and comprehensive way.' - Adrian Mackenzie, Lecturer in Sociology, Lancaster University, UK '...this book comes as a necessary and delightful addition ...[it] is a highly engaging, accessible text that is crucial for anyone writing and researching technology' - New Zealand Sociology 'Though aimed mainly at sociologists and other social scientists, this impressive book has much to offer theoretically curious historians of technology and their graduate students.' - Mark Shields, Technology and CultureMore details
Series
Edition
2011
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Target group
College/higher education
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 156 mm
Thickness: 12 mm
Weight
348 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-230-57757-2 (9780230577572)
DOI
10.1007/978-0-230-34395-5
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Steve Matthewman
Technology and Social Theory
Book
09/2011
Red Globe Press
€192.60
Shipment within 15-20 days
Person
STEVE MATTHEWMAN is Senior Lecturer in Sociology, Department of Sociology, University of Auckland, New Zealand. He is an established writer and teacher in Sociology, with specific interests in science and technology, social theory, cultural studies and modernity and its discontents. His most recent publications include (with Bell) 'Cultural Studies in Aotearoa New Zealand: Identity, Space and Place (Oxford University Press, 2004) and 'Being Sociological' (Palgrave Macmillan, 2007).
Content
Introduction.- Theorising Technology.- Marx, Modernity and the Machine.- Constructing the Modern: Human-Built World.- The Politics of Artefacts.- The Social Construction of Technology.- The Socio-Technical Construction of Society: Actor-Network Theory.- Left to Our Own Devices: Subjective Machines.- Objective Life: Things and Social Theory.- Conclusion: We Have Always Been Posthuman.- Bibliography.- Index.