About the Journal

A perspective on technology and culture from the humanities and social sciences is characterized, among other things, by viewing the relationship between technical artifacts and the social contexts in which they are embedded as interdependent—constitutive to both sides equally. This characteristic of sociological perspectives on technology and culture is captured in the title of this series, which suggests that technology is shaped by sociocultural contexts and, in turn, leaves its own mark on society. As ambiguities emerge between the diverse contexts of research, development, manufacturing, embedding, and usage, it is evident that varying focal points and orientations influence the relationship between the social and technology. In highly differentiated societies, the relationship between the social and technology is marked by specific dynamics of disembedding and reembedding. These dynamics can be appropriately deciphered through a combination of reconstructive and deconstructive strategies. Therefore, the series includes historical as well as visual and performing arts approaches to technical artifacts.

The series Working Papers Cultural and Sociotechnical Studies provides a forum for low-threshold exchange with colleagues and is open to artists, scientists, and students from all universities, disciplines, and institutes for the publication of their research and qualification papers. The thematic framework is intentionally broad and can be approached through various forms of presentation, ranging from essays to research outlines and articles.

The series has been published since 2008; each issue can be accessed online as a PDF document.