Technikgeschichte des Körpers

Methodische Überlegungen zu einer nutzerzentrierten Analyse verkörperter Machtverhältnisse

Abstract

English abstract: Since the 1990s, historical research on the relationship between bodies and technology has enriched our understanding of different perceptions and representations of artificial bodies in the modern era. This debate came into sharp relief in the debate on cyborgs. In this article, our main focus will not be on whether artificial body modifications have new features that allow us to label bodies cyborgs. Instead, we suggest an approach to adopt innovative ways to investigate technified body practices within their specific technological environment. Based on our concept of bodies as interfaces between technology and the humane, our contribution seeks to shed light on everyday practices. In particular microhistorical approaches, which strengthen the user’s perspective on technology, i.e. the cultural appropriation of technology is of foremost interest in everyday contexts of body-technology interactions.