Forms of Appropriation of Technological Devices in Artisanal Fishing: Observations from Portales Cove, Chile
Abstract
In this article, I analyze the discursive and practical forms of appropriation of two technological devices, the dock and the Global Positioning System (GPS), by the artisanal fishers of Portales cove (Valparaíso, Chile). Drawing on ethnography research that includes interviews, participant observation, and document review, I observe that when faced with new technologies, fishers initially rely on existing routines. Subsequently, devices that solve old problems and are adjusted to extraction activities are more likely to be appropriated. Thus, appropriation involves discursive and practical processes influenced by performance expectations and community interaction in technological learning. I identify that the symbolic inside/outside distinction, expressed through the sexual division of labor, and generational differences mediate the appropriation of devices involved in extractive activities. I argue that this study contributes to demonstrating that traditional ecological knowledge does not disappear with the domestication of new technologies.
Keywords
Artisanal Fishers, Technological Devices, Discourses, Practices, EthnographyReferences
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