Enrico Beltramini, Notre Dame de Namur University, California
"A Modest Proposal for a 4-Criteria Canon"
Abstract: Instead of questioning whether the history of technology has a canon, I inquire about what characteristics a history of technology canon should possess. A canon typically refers to a set of key characteristics or criteria that define a particular standard or body of work. In this specific case, it means a conception of what history of technology is and ought to be, and of what historians of technology do and should do. I suggest 4 criteria to define a canon of history of technology: (1) a series of canonical authors; (2) a way or style of arguing and writing; (3) a way of relating history of technology to the extra-historical, that is, technology, science, culture generally intended (literature, cinema, art), the public sphere (politics, and public debate); (4) a way of conceiving the historical practice. The four key characteristics are not listed in order of importance. In my presentation, I will provide details on each of these four characteristics and argue that the history of technology may encompass multiple canons, each grounded in distinct methodological approaches and metahistorical perspectives. The proposed paper is the preliminary version of the first chapter of a book on historiography of technology. I hope to discuss the 4-criteria canon and receive as much feedback as I can.