3D Printing Cultures, Politics and Hackerspaces

Leandros Savvides

Emerald

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Hardback

9781800716667

26 October 2021

$104.99

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9781800716650

26 October 2021

$104.99

eBook (ePub)

9781800716674

26 October 2021

$104.99

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Description
Contents
About

This stand-out book appreciably contributes to growing debates within Science and Technology Studies concerned with cultural politics, the emergence of citizen science and civil society interventions in shaping technology. By drawing on fieldwork data, Savvides examines the bourgeoning 3D printing culture outside the professional lab in Hackerspaces, Makerspaces and Fab Labs.

This engaging ethnography not only builds arguments on tracing the historical roots of makers and Hackerspaces, 3D printing technology and political narratives surrounding these new technological environments; it also illustrates how 3D printing has configured parallel grassroots innovation in experimental spaces in the UK, Germany and Cyprus and brought together hobbyist maker communities, activists and entrepreneurs alike.

The study also addresses the convergence of activism and the maker culture with prevalent cultural imaginaries - such as the visionary creator within decentralized and distributive manufacturing, the idea of autopoietic social systems, or the imaginative leap to space colonization - and touches upon challenges and motivations in the field of grassroots innovation by examining how it';s organized and conducted in semi-informal contexts.

Chapter 1. Approaching 3D printing

Chapter 2. A history of 3D printing: 3 waves of development
Chapter 3. 3D printing enmeshing in ideology, cultural imaginaries and political narratives
Chapter 4. 3D printing in Hackerspaces, Makerspaces and Fab Labs
Chapter 5. 3D print in everyday life: crafting, innovation and learning
Conclusion: 3D printing as a message

Leandros Savvides holds a PhD in Management, an MA in Social and Political Thought, and a combined Bachelor's degree in International Politics and Sociology. He currently heads the Business Management program at Global College, Nicosia, having previously held teaching positions at the University of Leicester and the University of Roehampton (London). His research interests include technology and its place in contemporary work and society, alternative and resilient organisations/economies such as the circular economy, cultural and utopian studies, and digital economy. Dr Savvides' work usually entails fieldwork along with a theoretical interdisciplinary approach towards technological artefacts.