Hi all
In many ways the SCOT (Social construction of technologuy) approach (people like Bijker etc., )http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_construction_of_technology frames this socio-historical interpretation and constitution of social relations through/with/by products. Other more recent fields including (scandinavian) activity-centred design and activity system theories also address products as tools in object-oriented community regulated acitivites of all sorts (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Activity_theory). Clearly while product design or industrial design remains centred on the engineering/manufacturing and market oriented channels and synergies and it stays centred on mass production - pretty much its raison d'etre - the field and industry could see little purpose in talking about such things. However, what's my point (I'm getting lost here). Ah, the theories/models/frameworks for a broadly socio-cultural socio-historical understanding of the function and meanings of products exist (SCOT etc) but they remain peripheral to the product design spheres, which work to short time frames and horizons anyway. So, no problem with being able to DO the review work or collect together the bibliogrpahies or DO the systematic review of the literature BUT hard to make it have any relavance to practice - if that matters. Gavin Melles
Dr Gavin Melles
Lecturer, Research Degree Skills
Faculty of Design
Swinburne University of Technology
Mob (03) 0402927278
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