The Appropriate technology movement in Latin America, its framings and imaginaries.

• In Event: What is Innovation for Social Inclusion? I

Abstract

The appropriate technology (AT) movement sought to build a different strategy of development based on the use and design of small and intermediate technologies accessible for the poor. By questioning the adoption of mass scale technologies, the appropriate technology movement also highlighted the importance of addressing local needs, capabilities and knowledge in the construction of suitable technologies for social development. From its origins in the mid 1960s in England, the AT movement gained momentum during the 1970s and became part of technology policy at national and international levels. In Latin America, several institutions developed visions and artifacts based on the ideas of AT, helping to shape alternative pathways of technological development. It also influenced the thought of early thinkers of Science, Technology and Society in the region such as Amilcar Herrera. However, despite the widespread dissemination of AT ideas in the region, its history remains largely untold. This paper seeks to analyze the extent and contribution of the AT movement in Latin America by analyzing selected cases in Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Colombia. In particular, we aim to understand the framings and challenges of AT in the region and what role these played in relation to broader policies and imaginaries of autonomous technological development in the region and internationally. To conclude, we will discuss the lessons of AT for both contemporary grassroots innovation movements and policies of inclusive innovation.

Authors

• Juan Mariano Fressoli, Universidad Nacional de Quilmes

• Elisa Arond, Clark University