Head-hunters and knowledge-gatherers: Colonialism, engineers and fields of planning

Ronen Shamir*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

5 Scopus citations

Abstract

An archival reconstruction of a 1930s engineering expedition to study the hydro-electric potential of the River Nile explores the investigative modalities of engineers. Contributing to an evolving anthropology of infrastructure and electricity the paper offers a material/relational analysis of an engineering field of planning and explores the relationship between ways of seeing and the drive to quantify (commensuration). Contributing to the study of colonialism, the paper finds that the engineering methods brought the African population into view either as a labour force or as politically troublesome but not as potential consumers of electricity.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)469-492
Number of pages24
JournalHistory and Anthropology
Volume29
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - 8 Aug 2018

Funding

FundersFunder number
Royal Geographical Society

    Keywords

    • East Africa
    • Engineers
    • anthropology of electricity
    • colonialism
    • hydropower

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