new book chapter on technology and the city
I am very pleased to announce the publication of a chapter in open access. You can find the whole book via this url: http://www.oapen.org/search?identifier=631166
The chapter is an attempt to call for more attention to the cohabitation of techne experts in African societies. In this way, I propose an alternative interpretation of "the smart city". There is considerable attention to the continuation of the social positioning of healers, blacksmiths, media practitioners and engineer students.
In addition, I explore the linguistic closeness of various forms of knowledge in the urban sphere and the handling of tools.
The endeavor of the whole book is to propose an Africa-centered understanding of technological innovation, going beyond the familiar tropes of appropriation and creativity. The book is the outcome of a workshop at MIT held in October 2014.
The full bibliographic reference for the book chapter is
Pype, K. 2017. "Smartness from Below. Variations on Technology and Creativity in Contemporary Kinshasa." In: Mavhunga, C.C. (ed.), What do Science, Technology, and Innovation Mean from Africa? Cambridge: MIT Press. Chapter 5: 97-115.