英文摘要 |
One important way a variety of disciplines have explored the question of how society, city, the state or globalization is possible has been to investigate how large technical/technological systems (LTS) are built in these arenas. Drawing insights from academic development in the field of history of technology, Thomas P. Hughes (1923-2014) established LTS theory by examining the interaction of technology and society through the case studies of how electric grids were created in Chicago, Berlin and London. His study of the developmental process of LTS construction is a classic work in sociology of technology and STS. Hughes’s research has inspired further research about how LTS produces cultural and political impacts. However, Hughes’ LTS theory has not been applied to the non-Western world and its local contexts, social institutions, political economy, and so on. New theoretical concepts could be generated with LTS theory grounded in cases from the non-Western world. Based on these interests, this essay attempts to offer some thoughts on how to study the transferred LTS from the West to Taiwan and what this might contribute to current research in LTS studies in general. |