Abstract
The sociology of technology needs more nuanced conceptualizations of the temporal aspects of sociotechnical change. In this article, we propose liminality as a useful analytical entry-point to study technologies that seemingly remain in a ‘no man’s land’ – what we call liminal technologies. Drawing on anthropological accounts and technology studies literature, we propose a framework to be used as a sensitizing device that includes four ways of understanding liminal technologies: (1) technologies in shielded transition, (2) technologies under construction through negotiation, (3) technologies that are morphing between worlds, and (4) technologies remaining in an in-between space. We use the Belgrade metro effort – an infrastructure project that has been in development for almost a century – as an extreme case through which to explore the achievements of this framework. The analysis shows that the liminality of the metro was characterized by a combination of spiral, multi-linear and halted temporality. Despite severely dis-aligned expectations, liminality persisted due to a shared belief that a metro would benefit Belgrade. We conclude that using liminal technology as a sensitizing device may in particular be relevant to technologies with prolonged liminality because it highlights temporal patterns that may prevent technological development from being either completed or terminated.
Highlights
The liminal metroThe idea of building a metro in Belgrade, Serbia, was first introduced in 1923
To explore the benefits of these varied approaches to analyse liminality, we explore the Belgrade metro using the framework to discuss temporal issues of the development of a technology in order to move beyond a linear understanding
Sociology of technology scholars are critical of linear narratives (e.g. Law, 2008)
Summary
The liminal metroThe idea of building a metro in Belgrade, Serbia, was first introduced in 1923. In 2019, nearly a hundred years later, the director of the newly established public utility company ‘Belgrade Metro and Train’ announced that the first metro line would start construction by the end of 2020. Despite the complexity of large projects such as metros, Carse and Kneas (2019) point out that the completion of infrastructures is expected to be imminent even if they often remain unbuilt and unfinished. Such lack of materialization does not mean that the technologies have no agency and politics.
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