Liminal technologies
Exploring the temporalities and struggles in efforts to develop a Belgrade metro
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 3241977 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Ivana Suboticki (0000-0002-8808-0353, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, corresponding author), Knut H Sørensen (0000-0003-0829-3496, Norwegian University of Science and Technology) |
| Year | 2021 |
| Volume | 69 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 156-173 |
| Publication date | 2021-01-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The Sociological Review (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0038-0261 • E-ISSN: 1467-954X |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1177/0038026120918166 |
| OpenAlex | W3023027672 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 5 |
| References cited | 40 |
The sociology of technology needs more nuanced conceptualizations of the temporal aspects of sociotechnical change. In this article, we propose liminality as a useful analytical entry-point to study technologies that seemingly remain in a 'no man's land' - what we call liminal technologies. Drawing on anthropological accounts and technology studies literature, we propose a framework to be used as a sensitizing device that includes four ways of understanding liminal technologies: (1) technologies in shielded transition, (2) technologies under construction through negotiation, (3) technologies that are morphing between worlds, and (4) technologies remaining in an in-between space. We use the Belgrade metro effort - an infrastructure project that has been in development for almost a century - as an extreme case through which to explore the achievements of this framework. The analysis shows that the liminality of the metro was characterized by a combination of spiral, multi-linear and halted temporality. Despite severely dis-aligned expectations, liminality persisted due to a shared belief that a metro would benefit Belgrade. We conclude that using liminal technology as a sensitizing device may in particular be relevant to technologies with prolonged liminality because it highlights temporal patterns that may prevent technological development from being either completed or terminated
Emerging technologies · Epistemology · Knowledge management · Liminality · Mobilities · Negotiation · Political science · Social science · Sociology · Sociotechnical system · Structuring · Temporalities · Temporality · Anthropology · Computer Science · Law · Sustainability and Climate Change Governance
The ritual process
Aircraft Stories
Liminality and the Modern
Navigating foresight in a sea of expectations
Sustainability transitions
What is protective space? Reconsidering niches in transitions to sustainability
Places on the Margin
Breaking Boundaries
Breaking Boundaries
Sorting Things Out
Belgrade metro studies
Reassembling the Social
Liminal homes
The Social Construction of Facts and Artefacts
Ordering theories
Liminal geopolitics
Network Ruins and Green Structure Development
Living Permanent Liminality
Aramis
Case Selection Techniques in Case Study Research
Creating Copenhagen's Metro – On the role of protected spaces in arenas of development
Liminal Lives
Method Matters in the Social Study of Technology
Cultures of Commuting
Timescapes of urban change
On Sociology and STS
Unbuilt and Unfinished
From Ritual to Theatre
Doing Science + Culture
Uncanny underground
A World of Standards but not a Standard World
Technology and institutions
| Unique citing works | 5 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1,67 |
| Citation span | 2023 - 2025 (3) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 4 |