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Research draft

history of technology

vr.tr.history-of-technology · INF.KNW

Let an agent describe the history of technology as a field, relay periodisations, major developments and interpretations with attribution to historians, distinguish it from the history of science and from technology itself, and point to museums, archives and references.

Thing Registry Information and virtual systems

Research draft, second pass

A second pass drafted this model: the structure a model of this thing needs, and what is known about it in the world. The line under this one says how the second half was obtained - researched against sources, or recalled without web access, in which case nothing here was read anywhere and every claim is a lead to verify. Unreviewed either way.

written by Claude from model knowledge without web access - no source was read, every claim is a lead to verify

Researched by: Claude

Purpose and description

Let an agent describe the history of technology as a field, relay periodisations, major developments and interpretations with attribution to historians, distinguish it from the history of science and from technology itself, and point to museums, archives and references.

The study of how tools, techniques, machines, materials and technical systems developed over time, from stone tools and agriculture through metallurgy, printing and industrialisation to electronics and computing, and of how technologies relate to societies, economies and knowledge; a field of history with its own journals, museums and methods.

What it is for: Understanding how technologies developed and shaped societies.

It can be outline periods and major developments; relay interpretations with attribution; distinguish from history of science and from technology itself; point to museums, archives and references.

Distinguishing features

Historical discipline

Covers artefacts, techniques and systems

Attends to social and economic context

Debates over determinism and diffusion

What it looks like

Not visible; found in books, journals, museums and artefacts.

How it is recognised

Historical study of technologies and their contexts

Field with societies, journals and museums

The history of science and individual technologies are separate entries

Related models

is a kind of - the wider field

history of science and technology

is contrasted with - a related but distinct field

history of science

studies - the subject

technology

is related to - a neighbouring field

economic history

In practice

Families and kinds

history by period: prehistoric, ancient, medieval, early modern, industrial, modern

history by domain: agriculture, communication, transport, computing, materials

industrial history and business history

history of engineering

national and regional histories of technology

Standards and regulation

No regulation; scholarly standards of history and heritage bodies

Failure modes and hazards

Whig narratives of inevitable progress

Attributing inventions to single heroes

Ignoring non-Western technologies

Confusing the field with technology itself

Also called

industrial historyhistory of agricultural sciencehistory of communicationhistory of chromatographyhistory of aluminiumHistory of industry in Saudi Arabiahistory of organized laborhistory of miningindustrial history of Ukrainehistory of metallurgyhistory of software engineeringhistory of discoveries and inventionshistory of technology in Ukrainehistory of film technologyhistory of computinghistory of watcheshistory of nanotechnologyhistory of transporthistory of aviationhistory of display technologyhistory of CAD softwareHistory of communication by presidents of the United Stateshistory of nickel productionhistory of tin productionhistory of copper productionhistory of goldhistory of silver mininghistory of computing in Romaniahistory of softwarehistory of computing hardware from 1960s to presenthistory of computer viruseshistory of computing in South Americahistory of computing in PolandHistory of transport in Saudi Arabiahistory of rail transport in Cataloniahistory of tramshistory of rapid transithistory of road transportHistory of Los Angeles Metro Rail and Buswayhistory of aviation in Canada

+10

Where this came from

wikidata · CC0 1.0

Source repository Registry entry point

Drafted structure

Bundle to layer to finding to question, as the second pass will find it: 4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions.

Field What the field is.

Definition.

Scope

Scope and methods.

Scope

Scope.

  1. What does the history of technology study, and with which methods and sources? definition
  2. Is the question about the history of technology, the history of science or a technology itself? boundary

Institutions

Societies and journals.

Institutions

Institutions.

  1. Which societies, journals and museums define the field? provenance
  2. Which entry fits a specific museum? action
Narrative Periods and developments.

Content.

Periods

Periodisation.

Periods

Periods.

  1. What are the main periods and turning points, and how do historians divide them? provenance
  2. Which entry fits a specific period or technology? action

Developments

Major developments.

Developments

Developments.

  1. What are the major developments in a given domain, with dates and sources? provenance
  2. Which references are standard? provenance
Interpret Interpretations.

Attribution.

Debates

Historiographical debates.

Debates

Debates.

  1. What debates exist on determinism, diffusion, innovation and social shaping, with positions attributed? provenance
  2. Is the presentation neutral? boundary

Global

Global perspectives.

Global

Global.

  1. How do global and non-Western perspectives change the narrative? provenance
  2. Is the presentation free of Eurocentric framing? boundary
Resources Sources and teaching.

Resources.

Sources

Archives and artefacts.

Sources

Sources.

  1. Where are primary sources, artefacts and archives found? provenance
  2. Which entry fits industrial heritage? action

Teach

Teaching.

Teach

Teaching.

  1. How is the history of technology taught, and which texts are standard? provenance
  2. Which misconceptions arise? provenance

What the second pass must settle

  • Should histories of specific technologies be separate entries?
  • How should museums and archives be linked?
  • The registry entry has merged aliases for histories of specific materials and regions; should they be split off?
Draft as JSON