More notes on “Out of the Ruins: The Emergence of Radical Informal Learning Spaces”.
Crack capitalism theory by John Holloway. Contradicts the idea of total domination present in common discourse around capitalism. Encourages action because action is always present in our doing. Anti-capitalist radicalism is present in the most micro events of sipping tea with friends at home, or reading on a park bench. In this spectral view of change, action seems less daunting and more attainable. The weight of a world is lifted. Capital may have globalising tendencies but it’s constant cracking/excess reveals local cultures and diversity.
The Wretched of the Network Society is a healthy postcolonial critique of Technological determinism.
Postcolonialism: a critical analysis of colonial processes throughout histories and how they form our present structures of power and inequality. Engages in the complex transformations in societies both colonised and colonising. Discusses how colonial legacies lead to hybridity in identities and cultures.
Hybridization theory helps us move beyond the exlusionary and binary theories of colonialism; it recognises the blending of different cultural spaces, knowledge systems and social structures. In this thinking we must remember hybridity is entangled with domination; some populations/identities benefit in resources and power from the emerging “postcolonial” structures.
Postcolonial? could be a misleading term since colonisation and domination are ongoing processes.
In regards to technology and colonialism, this essay recognises the values embedded in modern technologies that perpetuate colonial strategies. Technological determinism theories such as that of McLuhan (the medium is the message) highlight the effect of new technological mediums in our society, such as print media or the radio, without discussing the values loaded in these technologies that perpetuate power dynamics. Many modern technologies have been developed in wealthy western countries, which give those populations more semiotic power (language capacities, identification with symbols) in the internet and popular media. at the same time, many of these technologies are produced in “post”colonized countries. Technological development perpetuates colonial power. However, the essay makes it clear that these values and power dynamics entangled in our technologies do not fully determine their capacities! Such as in “Crack capitalism” theory, humans constantly subvert the implied values and suggested routeways in which we engage with our technologies. Tech has the capacity to host radical information and activity, but their implied values should also be recognised and challenged.