Hi Francois,
As a sociologist, I can imagine the argument that all objects are
designed this way -- but with huge variation in the intentionality of
the gendered nature of the process and/or the outcome.
A number of people have argued that the social-psychological and
institution/structural importance of gender runs so deep it MUST
influence nearly everything we create.
I also think that even if designed objects aren't created in this way,
they may certainly function this way, as they ellicit gendered
responses from the people using them.
I am imagining the kinds of experimental-model research projects that
could address this question, at the levels of creation and reception,
as well as the army of PhD students who could work on the subject. :)
I'm hoping that others might contribute some references about this, as
I don't know of them. I will let you know anything I hear about it,
for sure.
Teena and Piiu may especially want to chime in here...
Best wishes,
Christena
Christena Nippert-Eng, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Sociology
Illinois Institute of Technology
312-567-6812 (office)
312-567-6821 (fax)
http://www.iit.edu/~socsci/faculty/nippert-eng.html
----- Original Message -----
From: FrFrancois-Xavier Nsenga <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Sunday, November 19, 2006 6:45 pm
Subject: Re: Gender 101 and design
> "Even thinking about objects as things that can be more and less
> successful in inviting humans into different kinds of
> (non)/gendered relationships with each other is just grand."
>
> Dear Christena and others,
>
> Linguistic features and "Human - equal -Rights" considerations
> aside, have any of you already worked, or have bibliographic
> references, on gendered artifacts, both immaterial and material,
> as purposely designed - or not - to induce gendered relationships
> among humans?
>
> Regards!
>
> François
> Montréal
>
>
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