
Radical Infrastructure
Imagining the Internet from the Ground Up
Britt Paris(Author)
University of California Press
1st Edition
Will be published approx. on 17. February 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
338 pages
978-0-520-40205-8 (ISBN)
Description
A free ebook version of this title is available through Luminos, University of California Press's Open Access publishing program. Visit www.luminosoa.org to learn more.
What if we could start over and build the Internet from scratch? How could it be rebuilt or reimagined as more equitable and just? For more than eight years, Britt S. Paris investigated alternative Internet infrastructure projects, conducting interviews, site visits, and policy analysis. In this expansive and interdisciplinary study, Paris critically examines the myriad and contradictory promises, utility, and obstacles to building a completely new Internet. Radical Infrastructure locates and analyzes the boundaries of how people and groups imagine, build, deploy, maintain, and use the Internet as they survive-and even dare to thrive-in challenging political, economic, and environmental contexts. Ultimately, Paris encourages active reflection among scholars, policymakers, and activists and reveals more grounded imaginaries, tactics, and opportunities for future people-centered projects.
What if we could start over and build the Internet from scratch? How could it be rebuilt or reimagined as more equitable and just? For more than eight years, Britt S. Paris investigated alternative Internet infrastructure projects, conducting interviews, site visits, and policy analysis. In this expansive and interdisciplinary study, Paris critically examines the myriad and contradictory promises, utility, and obstacles to building a completely new Internet. Radical Infrastructure locates and analyzes the boundaries of how people and groups imagine, build, deploy, maintain, and use the Internet as they survive-and even dare to thrive-in challenging political, economic, and environmental contexts. Ultimately, Paris encourages active reflection among scholars, policymakers, and activists and reveals more grounded imaginaries, tactics, and opportunities for future people-centered projects.
More details
Edition
First Edition
Language
English
Place of publication
Berkerley
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
16: 15 color figs, 1 b-w line art (14 color line art+photos, 1 color line art map, 1 b-w line art chart)
Dimensions
Height: 140 mm
Width: 217 mm
Thickness: 23 mm
Weight
440 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-520-40205-8 (9780520402058)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
02/2026
1st Edition
Naval Institute Press
€12.49
Available for download
Person
Britt S. Paris is Assistant Professor of Library and Information Science in the School of Communication and Information at Rutgers.
Content
Contents
Preface
Acknowledgments and Dedication
On the Current Moment
List of Abbreviations
Introduction. Internet and Infrastructure: What Is and What Shouldn't Be
1. Networking Futures Past
2. Buried Bodies of Internet Infrastructure
3. Mining Silicon Holler for Alternatives
4. The Struggle Around Municipal Internet
5. Imagining and Managing Relations from the Ground to the Cloud
6. Reading Futures for Internet Infrastructure
Conclusion. Mobilizing Theories of Change and Organizing Tactics for Radical Internet Infrastructure
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Preface
Acknowledgments and Dedication
On the Current Moment
List of Abbreviations
Introduction. Internet and Infrastructure: What Is and What Shouldn't Be
1. Networking Futures Past
2. Buried Bodies of Internet Infrastructure
3. Mining Silicon Holler for Alternatives
4. The Struggle Around Municipal Internet
5. Imagining and Managing Relations from the Ground to the Cloud
6. Reading Futures for Internet Infrastructure
Conclusion. Mobilizing Theories of Change and Organizing Tactics for Radical Internet Infrastructure
Notes
Bibliography
Index