The Social Construction of Technological Systems: New Directions in the Sociology and History of Technology ed. by Wiebe E. Bijker, et al

Abstract

TECHNOLOGY AND CULTURE Book Reviews 705 Nevertheless, the book has many strengths, particularly in part 2, which explores specific areas of engineering involvement after a general sociological background has been set out in part 1. The discussion of engineering education (chap. 6) is a valuable summary of the peculiarities of the British tradition, especially with its debili­ tating emphasis on intellectual education and the laissez-faire role of the state. The critique of science (rather than engineering) as the “motor” of industrialization is also timely, and, despite the lopsided discussion of professionalism already mentioned, the chapter on professional associations and trade unions contains much useful information. The conclusion also makes some robust statements about the need for British engineers to become more involved in public affairs, the value of a “protected title,” and the crucial impor­ tance of manufacturing, so “foolishly and eccentrically neglected in Britain” (p. 237). Whatever the response of engineers, the book provides an intelligent commentary on their role in society, and it should at least stimulate a deeper understanding among social scientists of the nature of the engineering dimension. R. Angus Buchanan Dr. Buchanan is director of the Centre for the History of Technology, Science and Society at the University of Bath, and Secretary-General of ICOH 1'EC. The Social Construction of Technological Systems: New Directions in the Sociology and History of Technology. Edited by Wiebe E. Bijker, Tho­ mas P. Hughes, and Trevor Pinch. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 1987. Pp. xi + 405; illustrations, notes, bibliography, indexes. $35.00 (cloth); $12.95 (paper). Sociologists and historians often pay lip service to each other’s work but seldom achieve true dialogue based on mutual respect and shared concepts. This collection reflects that rare situation, along with marking the birth of the sociology of technology. It is thus a landmark volume that belongs on the shelf of every researcher in science and technology studies. The contributions, hrst presented at a workshop in 1984, discuss and use a handful of concepts and approaches to the study of technology, some drawn from the work of historians and some from that of sociologists. Their common ground is the view that techno­ logical systems are the transient products of human effort and negotiation and cannot be understood without tracing the processes through which technical, social, economic, and political elements are integrated into the very nature of technologies. From sociology, Michel Calion, Trevor Pinch, and Wiebe Bijker introduce the main concepts that embody this perspective. Calion points out that technologists always attempt to carry out their plans in 706 Book Reviews TECHNOLOGY AND CULTURE the context of heterogeneous actor networks, made up of (in his example of the electric vehicle) electrons, consumers, government agencies, industrial firms, existing technologies, and social structure. Technologists are thus necessarily sociologists; when they design and introduce technologies, they project social structures within which these will be used. The fate of their plans depends on all the elements of the heterogeneous network, according to Calion, and all those elements must be treated symmetrically when technological process is analyzed. Pinch and Bijker argue that technological development proceeds through variation and retention. At any stage, different audiences may interpret an artifact differently: for instance, some turn-of-the-century bicycle users wanted more speed and others more safety. Variations in the technology appear in relation to different perceptions of problems, and certain variations will stabilize when an audience sees its problems as solved. From history, Thomas Hughes, Edward Constant, and Ruth Schwartz Cowan all outline important concepts and perspectives. Hughes’s essay catalogs the major ideas from his well-known work on electrical power systems, including the notion of technological system itself as well as reverse salients, technological style, and momentum; it also reflects his skepticism about the innovative capacity of large organizations. Constant provides a framework for uniting commu­ nity, organization, and systems approaches to technological develop­ ment. Cowan presents the case for viewing the heterogeneous actor network from the viewpoint of the consumer, who ultimately decides the fate of the technology. These last two essays are too rich conceptually to have been relegated to the third section ofthe book. By and large, tbe contributions in parts 2 and...