ESHS/HSS Annual Meeting

Epistemic Images: Instagram as a Source for Maintenance Knowledge

• In Event: Wires Across Borders: Transnational Perspectives on Electrical Histories

English Abstract

Historians of science increasingly confront the challenge of studying tacit knowledge, the embodied skills and practices that sustain complex systems. While scholarship has increasingly examined maintenance and repair as sites of expertise, writing such histories remains difficult due to archival silences and the non-textual nature of much technical know-how. This paper explores methodological strategies for accessing and analyzing such knowledge through a case study of energized power line maintenance in Indonesia. Archival sources are sparse, limited to three technical standards and work instructions issued by the state electricity company. To address these gaps, I combine interviews, on-site observation, and an emerging digital source: photos and videos shared by maintainer communities on Instagram. These curated images extend the reach of ethnographic inquiry and reveal subtle details of practice—tools, routines, and safety protocols—while simultaneously projecting occupational identities and aesthetics. Instagram posts also capture the transnational dimensions of expertise: Indonesian linemen trained by overseas specialists and equipped with imported tools adapt standardized techniques to diverse local conditions, from urban areas to rural landscapes. I argue that these visual traces are not merely representations but epistemic artifacts that document the circulation and localization of technical knowledge. By foregrounding the methodological affordances and limitations of social media as historical evidence, this paper contributes to debates on sources, representation, and global knowledge flows in the history of science.

Author

• Anto Mohsin, Northwestern University in Qatar