History tells us that there has always been a relationship between human beings and their technologies. Anthropological findings offer evidence from pre-history, whilst history, which according to (Kramer, 1956), begins at Sumer, suggests that it was the Sumerians who gave us the first cities and perhaps most crucially, invented writing in the form of cuneiform. This, for the first time, gave rise to written accounts of life at that time. Whatever their origins, however, it is evident that from the time human beings occupied this Earth, they have managed to evolve, from that day to this, only as a result of their relationship with technologies. An understanding of the concept of technology is, therefore, essential if we are to comprehend the world both of today and of the past and into the future. We have, moreover, now entered the era known as the Anthropocene, an era that, as a result of our over-exploitation of the natural resources of the planet for economic technological gain, has led to what is generally considered to be the greatest existential threat to human existence ever encountered. As governments try to balance economic growth through consumerism, with a scaling down of the use of fossil fuels, for example, the damage continues as a cancerous growth which is slowly, but inexorably, destroying the entire ecosystem. As I write this, there is a war being fought in Ukraine, one that has been initiated by Russia. This war is having a devastating effect on energy supplies throughout the world where costs are escalating at hitherto unprecedented levels. The results of this war serve as a stark reminder of the world’s heavy reliance on fossil fuels and reveals the urgent need to rapidly change the way our energy is created. It is vital, therefore, that members of the next generation be given a voice through which they cannot only express, their concerns, but which will enable them to become active participants in the discovery of possible solutions to this crisis. It is, after all, they who will inherit the world.
At present technology education in schools does not offer a platform where young people can express themselves in this context. Vocationally orientated technology education continues, for the most part, to offer craft-based skill development and related knowledges that are in the service of industry. This, despite the fact that no one can know in advance, what these industry requirements might be. Whilst curricula for technology education does support the inclusion of technological literacy, this is, for the most part, located within the extant pedagogies applied in technology education. Technological literacy, therefore, is in reality, rarely, if ever, covered. What is needed is the creation of a modern-day Agora where young people can express their views on the
It was around the late 1980s that the introduction of the concept of technological literacy began to be seriously considered within the group of subjects variously known as technology education, design and technology education and technical education. This innovation was designed to incorporate new, social and philosophical dimensions into a subject that was considered to be too craft orientated and vocational in nature. Technological literacy was, as de Vries articulates, designed to develop in young people, an ability not only to critique technology, but also to enable them “to live and work in a technological society by making responsible and sophisticated use of technology” (de Vries, 2018a, p. 78). This book will explore the development of technological literacy since its inception up to the present day and conclude by advancing a new nomadic pedagogy for teaching about technology through the ongoing process of becoming ethnotechnologically literate. I use the prefix ‘ethno,’ which means people, society and culture, as a means of differentiating between the concept of technology considered in purely objective terms, towards a consideration of technology in sociocultural terms. I make this distinction because ‘technological literacy’ is often perceived in objective terms, whereas the addition of ‘ethno’ clarifies ethnotechnological literacy as a subjective, ergo sociocultural concept. It is thus the study of the human technology relationship.
I want also to stress at this point that the concerns that I will raise in this book are related to technology education programmes that are vocationally orientated and which have a strong focus on craft skills development. I believe these programmes to be predominant. I acknowledge that there are examples of technology education delivery that go beyond this purely craft-based, vocational model. These more progressive programmes usually incorporate design, and some even attempt to explore ethical dimensions of the technologically textured world we inhabit. Even within these, however, the concept of ethnotechnological literacy does not feature to the extent I believe it should, especially when we consider the technologically orientated, world-wide problems we face today. My experience as a teacher, university lecturer and researcher of technology education, is reinforced by ongoing expressions of concern, in both written and anecdotal form, as expressed by colleagues from around the world.
It is important to understand that education about technology also operates in a political environment, one that informs policies that in turn impact upon pedagogy and curriculum development. Thus, the concept of ethnotechnological literacy serves as an ideal platform from which to consider these important issues, especially in today’s technologically textured world. I have chosen to explore the philosophy of Gilles Deleuze who, in association with Felix Guattari, introduced the concept of ‘nomadology’ to the philosophical field. Relatively recently, other philosophers, influenced by the work of Deleuze, have begun to explore the concept of nomadic education. Influenced by this poststructuralist philosophy, I will offer a completely new and unique perspective on education about technology, through the development of a nomadic pedagogy related to the ongoing process of becoming ethnotechnologically literate, as outlined in the title of this book.