[hackerspaces] Hackerspaces as postmodern learning spheres beyond the virtual

Alison Powell alison at alisonpowell.ca
Wed Apr 21 11:26:27 CEST 2010


Hi,

I completed a PhD thesis on Wi-Fi hackers a few years ago, using an 
ethnographic approach with some elements of participatory action 
research.  I didn't focus on learning but on co-productions of social 
and technical relationships - as well as the politics of hacking.  Some 
of what I researched related to informal learning and grassroots 
organizations, and that's what might be interesting to anyone working on 
hackerspaces.  I'm still doing work on hacking, especially hardware 
hacking, and am pleased to see that there's a community of researchers 
developing around this.

If anyone is interested, some of my papers/thesis chapters are posted on 
my blog at http://www.alisonpowell.ca/?page_id=72

alison powell.

Magnus Eriksson wrote:
> Hey!
>
> Wow, I just signed up to the list yesterday to see if other people
> were doing hackerspace research and I'm thrown right in the middle of
> this wonderful thread!
>
> I'm preparing for an ethnography style active participatory research
> masters in sociology as well as researching hackerspaces for my
> interaction design job at the interactive institute here in Sweden and
> I've been involved in forskningsavd.org and http://gbg.hackerspace.se/
> For now I have been mostly reading theoretical stuff that is only
> indirectly related like nigel thrift, jane bennett, bruno latour and
> various design approaches that are similar to how hackers approach
> problems. As someone pointed out in the thread, there is not much
> research directly relating to hackerspaces conducted. But great to see
> so many approaches taken by you!
>
> I would love to put up a common repository for resources. Perhaps a
> tag at delicious would be the simplest to maintain.
>
> Rose: Which article by Becker did you refer to? "about studying a
> group you are a part of"
>
> cheers,
> Magnus Eriksson
>
>
> On Wed, Apr 21, 2010 at 3:37 AM, Kris Gesling <krisgesling at gmail.com> wrote:
>   
>> Wow you never realise there's so much cool research going on, I'm still just
>> an undergrad but am looking at honours topics for next year or the year
>> after (might have a little break after ive spent most of my life now in
>> educational institutions).
>>
>> What do you think about sticking some basic info and links up on the
>> hackerspaces wiki? It'd be great to be able to see all the different stuff
>> that's going on and keep up to date with it.
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Discuss mailing list
>> Discuss at lists.hackerspaces.org
>> http://lists.hackerspaces.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
>>
>>
>>     
> _______________________________________________
> Discuss mailing list
> Discuss at lists.hackerspaces.org
> http://lists.hackerspaces.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
>   

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