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Technology overrule: pre-literate Akan orality and the musket
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 19 July 2023
Abstract
The history of the human–technology relation points to binary (positive and negative) evaluations of technology’s role. One reason for this binary is the limited view of technology in terms of physical and tangible devices. Another is an extreme global view of the relationship, which neglects global diversity. However, technology includes non-physical devices such as speech. Moreover, people hold different intellectual, historical and philological assumptions as the bases for their rule over technology. This article emphasizes the importance of language and global diversity as crucial dimensions of the human–technology relation. It is through language that humans are able to rule over technology, rather than being dominated by it. Taking language as a focal point, I expose the neglect of pre-literate orality as a way of engaging with technology and I espouse an orality perspective on our rule over technology. This perspective foregrounds human mindfulness as a basis for oral engagement with technology. It is developed based on analysis of historical data on oral language use by pre-literate Akan people of Ghana to rule over the musket. The article characterizes technology overrule according to a four-stage process: image recognition, technology reduction, technology reposition and image reproduction.
Résumé
L’histoire de la relation entre l’homme et la technologie pointe des évaluations (positives et négatives) binaires du rôle de la technologie. Une raison de ce binaire est la vue limitée de la technologie en termes de dispositifs physiques et tangibles. Une autre raison est une vue globale extrême de la relation, qui néglige la diversité globale. Cependant, la technologie inclut des dispositifs non physiques comme la parole. De plus, les gens basent leur domination de la technologie sur différents axiomes intellectuels, historiques et philologiques. Cet article souligne l’importance du langage et de la diversité globale en tant que dimensions cruciales de la relation entre l’homme et la technologie. C’est à travers le langage que l’homme domine la technologie, au lieu d’être dominé par elle. Prenant comme point central le langage, l’auteur expose l’inattention portée à l’oralité d’avant l’écriture comme moyen d’aborder la technologie, et soutient une perspective d’oralité sur notre domination de la technologie. Cette perspective met en avant la pleine conscience humaine comme base d’approche orale de la technologie. Elle repose sur l’analyse de données historiques sur l’utilisation du langage oral par le peuple akan d’avant l’écriture au Ghana pour dominer le mousquet. L’article caractérise la domination de la technologie selon un processus en quatre étapes : reconnaissance de l’image, réduction de la technologie, repositionnement de la technologie et reproduction de l’image.
Resumo
A história da relação entre o homem e a tecnologia aponta para avaliações binárias (positivas e negativas) do papel da tecnologia. Uma das razões para este binarismo é a visão limitada da tecnologia em termos de dispositivos físicos e tangíveis. Outra é uma visão global extrema da relação, que negligencia a diversidade global. No entanto, a tecnologia inclui dispositivos não físicos, como o discurso. Além disso, as pessoas têm diferentes pressupostos intelectuais, históricos e filológicos como base do seu domínio sobre a tecnologia. Este artigo sublinha a importância da linguagem e da diversidade global como dimensões cruciais da relação homem-tecnologia. É através da linguagem que os seres humanos são capazes de dominar a tecnologia, em vez de serem dominados por ela. Tomando a linguagem como ponto focal, exponho a negligência da oralidade pré-alfabetizada como forma de nos envolvermos com a tecnologia e defendo uma perspectiva de oralidade sobre o nosso domínio da tecnologia. Esta perspectiva coloca em primeiro plano a atenção humana como base para o envolvimento oral com a tecnologia. É desenvolvida com base na análise de dados históricos sobre a utilização da linguagem oral pelo povo Akan pré-alfabetizado do Gana para dominar o mosquete. O artigo caracteriza o domínio da tecnologia de acordo com um processo em quatro fases: reconhecimento da imagem, redução da tecnologia, reposicionamento da tecnologia e reprodução da imagem.
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- © The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the International African Institute
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