This article details and reflects on how student learning was elevated to a new level through inv... more This article details and reflects on how student learning was elevated to a new level through inviting real life into the classroom of a course in cultural understanding, aimed at engineering students at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. In preceding years, the learning was organized as two group assignments where students authored a make-believe narrative, wherein a technical project was accomplished in collaboration with a foreign party. This year, the students' second project was a collaboration with social science students from the West University in Timișoara. The students not only learned facts about Romanian culture, but, more importantly, they became immersed in culture as an experience and a process, observing a turn from culture understood as a reified scientific entity, to culture as an environment or lifeworld. Rather than trying to approach culture at a distance, distance itself became the students' environment. Only as the students came to accept a state of unknowing, with associated feelings of frustration and anxiety, were they able to dwell in a nearness to Romanian culture quite unlike that in which a "native" dwells. The students' project solutions evocate this nearness. In previous projects, cultural challenges were hurdles for the technical product that needed solving much like any technical hurdle. This relationship was flipped upside down in the real collaboration, putting technical products in the service of culture rather than the other way around. We show and discuss how our openended pedagogical philosophy was critical in unlocking this new level of learning.
This article details and reflects on how student learning was elevated to a new level through inv... more This article details and reflects on how student learning was elevated to a new level through inviting real life into the classroom of a course in cultural understanding, aimed at engineering students at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. In preceding years, the learning was organized as two group assignments where students authored a make-believe narrative, wherein a technical project was accomplished in collaboration with a foreign party. This year, the students' second project was a collaboration with social science students from the West University in Timișoara. The students not only learned facts about Romanian culture, but, more importantly, they became immersed in culture as an experience and a process, observing a turn from culture understood as a reified scientific entity, to culture as an environment or lifeworld. Rather than trying to approach culture at a distance, distance itself became the students' environment. Only as the students came to accept a state of unknowing, with associated feelings of frustration and anxiety, were they able to dwell in a nearness to Romanian culture quite unlike that in which a "native" dwells. The students' project solutions evocate this nearness. In previous projects, cultural challenges were hurdles for the technical product that needed solving much like any technical hurdle. This relationship was flipped upside down in the real collaboration, putting technical products in the service of culture rather than the other way around. We show and discuss how our openended pedagogical philosophy was critical in unlocking this new level of learning.
Recently, considerable focus, e.g., in the fifth IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change)... more Recently, considerable focus, e.g., in the fifth IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) Assessment Report (2014) has been trained on why adaptation and mitigation have not been developed more than at present, with relatively few local government actions taken compared with, for example, more discursive policy agreement on the importance of the issue of climate change. Going beyond a focus on general limits and barriers, this comment suggests that one important issue is that climate change has not yet been sufficiently integrated into the state regulative structure of legislation and policy-making. A comparison between three cases suggests that local developments that are not supported in particular by binding regulation are unlikely to achieve the same general level of implementation as issues for which such regulative demands (and thereby also requirements for prioritization) exist. This constitutes an important consideration for the development of adaptation and mitigation as policy areas, including on the local level.
... diet of the larvae of some commercially important fish species (eg Purcell et al. andFyhn et ... more ... diet of the larvae of some commercially important fish species (eg Purcell et al. andFyhn et al., this volume). Recent studies on their ecophysiology have considerably increased our knowledge on their individual bioenergetics ...
Veilederen presenterer erfaringer, råd og tips fra forskningsprosjektet «Kontraktstrategier og s... more Veilederen presenterer erfaringer, råd og tips fra forskningsprosjektet «Kontraktstrategier og spesialistbasert samhandling» (KSS). Prosjektet har pågått fra 2017-2021 og har utforsket konsekvenser av og muligheter innenfor den nye trenden i næringen med økt vekt på samhandling i bygge- og anleggsprosjektene. Tidlig involvering av entreprenør i prosjekteringsprosessen har stått sentralt. De rådene og tipsene som presenteres i veilederen er ment som støtte til bedrifter, prosjektledere og andre som ønsker å legge til rette for økt samhandling og verdiskapning i bygge og anleggsprosjektene
This paper is about creating identity, soul and motivation in engineering design projects. We hav... more This paper is about creating identity, soul and motivation in engineering design projects. We have combined theory of rituals from social anthropology and practical knowledge from the theatre and brought it into the classroom of engineering design.
Recently, considerable focus, e.g., in the fifth IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change)... more Recently, considerable focus, e.g., in the fifth IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) Assessment Report (2014) has been trained on why adaptation and mitigation have not been developed more than at present, with relatively few local government actions taken compared with, for example, more discursive policy agreement on the importance of the issue of climate change. Going beyond a focus on general limits and barriers, this comment suggests that one important issue is that climate change has not yet been sufficiently integrated into the state regulative structure of legislation and policy-making. A comparison between three cases suggests that local developments that are not supported in particular by binding regulation are unlikely to achieve the same general level of implementation as issues for which such regulative demands (and thereby also requirements for prioritization) exist. This constitutes an important consideration for the development of adaptation and mitigation as policy areas, including on the local level.
This paper describes a new framework for approaching and evaluating product development processes... more This paper describes a new framework for approaching and evaluating product development processes by using working situations as the point of entry, and by viewing contextual factors as a means to improve design effectiveness and efficiency for the concurrent enterprise. The proposed way of achieving this is to actively configure working situations in order to ensure a better alignment between design goals, the underlying design process, design methods, and the contextual factors, including surroundings and technology. Design efficiency and effectiveness is ensured through a product program approach based on the concept of streamlining the design process by standardizing ICT tools to improve portability between working situations, and by differentiating the surroundings in order to configure value-adding environments capable of creating a collaborative atmosphere. The approach depends on finding ways of ensuring proper workplace configuration and adequate technology support in order...
Today, product development in distributed teams is gaining popularity. This often saves time, and... more Today, product development in distributed teams is gaining popularity. This often saves time, and it can be very cost-effective due to reduced business travel. At the same time, there has been a shift from video conferencing equipment to modern desktop-conferencing tools. As a result, the usual working situation is that each team member is sitting behind his or her PC. This paper addresses virtual collaboration in a larger perspective. This perspective connects active work surfaces with virtual collaboration tools. These work surfaces are used actively as an integrated part of a holistic approach. In particular, the importance of good visualization tools to create a shared understanding is emphasized. The goal is to equip the physical rooms and surroundings where we work, with virtual characteristics.
Sustainability has become a critical issue, calling for new conceptualizations of both problems a... more Sustainability has become a critical issue, calling for new conceptualizations of both problems and solutions. This special issue of the Nordic Journal of Science and Technology Studies, explore the concept of “Crafting Sustainability”. Sustainability is a hot topic in contemporary scholarly debates, with methodological, theoretical, and conceptual contributions from a wide array of research areas, also from Science and Technology Studies. Craft on the other hand has been less of a focal point, although all humans relate to craft on some level.
The building industry is becoming increasingly characterized by automated production, and in line... more The building industry is becoming increasingly characterized by automated production, and in line with this, the nature of craftsmanship is transforming. In this article, we look for a sustainable path for this transformation through a case study that follows a team of carpenters building a set of tower blocks at a high-tech building site using “lean” construction techniques and robotic production technology. The builders are organized according to complex schedules of lean construction, making work at the building site resemble that of a large machine. The builders hold multiple roles within this machine: more than simply “living mechanisms” inside the machine, they also take on more parental roles as “machinists,” employing their crafting skills in planning, problem solving, improvising, coordinating and fettling in order to make the building machine run smoothly and to minimize environmental uncertainty. The craftsmanship in action is characterized by what we call workmanship of ...
This paper describes a continuous process of making, sharing and using 'thick' documentation in a... more This paper describes a continuous process of making, sharing and using 'thick' documentation in a project wherein we co-designed three self-management tools with three participants with type I diabetes. Making, sharing and using thick documentation of these processes increased the individual cases' impact beyond the three participants and the design team involved. Thick documentation represents the material and immaterial aspects of a design process-the latter referring to the dynamic range of participants' perspectives-in a readable way and motivates use and documentation by others. We discuss the development of two different kinds of thick documentation for two processes and evaluate how they enabled knowledge building among existing and new participants and how all actors valued this.
Proc. 27th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction (IGLC)
The digital shift has arrived in the construction industry, with the aim of increasing the effici... more The digital shift has arrived in the construction industry, with the aim of increasing the efficiency. However, how should the industry implement digital tools? And how should a human-technology relationship work? The purpose of this paper is to illuminate how the construction industry can close the gap between the potential benefits and the harvested benefits of implementation of AI. This paper presents research based on a comprehensive literature review, a case study of a construction project in Norway, and three external interviews. The case study consists of a document study and seventeen semi-structured interviews. The experiences established through this research indicate that it is possible to gain experience from the implementation of basic digital tools when implementing advanced technology, such as artificial intelligence (AI). When come at AI, the human-AI trust will be the most decisive factor for a successful implementation. This paper constitutes a piece of pioneer work, as it investigates the implementation of AI, and how humans and technology should work together. This research is limited down to one case study as well as three digital tools. To extend the research it is recommended to discuss the adaption of AI on premise of the users, collect more empirical data and look into experiences done by other industries.
Proc. 27th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction (IGLC)
This paper presents findings of a study about how to extend the use of Takt-time planning in cons... more This paper presents findings of a study about how to extend the use of Takt-time planning in construction projects. The study is based on analysis of two construction projects involving non-repetitive work that, after failing to use Takt-time planning, had to return to ordinary methods of production. To uncover causes to the problems, the research method Theory-building process tracing is used. Results show that extended use of Takt-time planning presupposes effective coordination in the projecting process and a proactive and well organised production control in the construction phase. It also presupposes high involvement of the craftsmen and crew-leaders in the Takt-time planning and production. The method of theory-building process tracing is transferred from political science and historical studies to construction projects. The research method offers a unit of hypothesis testing and cumulative practical theory development, which can be of general value for construction research. Although the validation of the present empirical results is thorough, based on interviews and workshops, the researchers own observations of the processes studied could have been more extensive.
Proc. 27th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction (IGLC)
In this case study from the building industry we present a framework for, and experiences with bu... more In this case study from the building industry we present a framework for, and experiences with building and sustaining an organizational culture to create teams with a collaborative mindset for disruptive performance driven by extraordinary ambitions. It demonstrates that it is possible to develop a culture and mindset for success by actively combining concepts from social anthropology and team-and performance leadership. This is achieved by developing a cultural mythology; creating rituals for learning, developing, sharing and coordinating mindset; connecting collective and personal goals using personal goal plans; managing mindset using mindset map and digital organization charts. The study also shows that developing organizational culture cannot only be approached as a method with structured set of rules to follow. It also needs to be acknowledged as form of craft provided by a combination of experienced leadership highly skilled in enterprise-and team development where the motivation to change is fueled by extraordinary ambitions of disruption. Last, the leaders must commit and reinvest in sustaining the culture both in economic and emotional terms. Here transparency is required, and this must be done regularly to maintain a high level of trust among all the members of the organization, so all the people can be active in developing and impacting their own culture -there is no room for bystanders.
Proc. 27th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction (IGLC)
This paper introduces the concept of 'team-leader walk' as part of the construction process organ... more This paper introduces the concept of 'team-leader walk' as part of the construction process organized through TAKT production. The purpose of the team-leader walk, is to help teamleaders see, communicate and plan further ahead in the construction process. By systematically walking through the different zones of the building under construction, while discussing plans and coordination issues one to three weeks ahead, the building site is used as communication tool in the interdisciplinary communication between the teamleaders. Appealing to the often-well-developed practical intelligence of the team-leaders, we argue that the building site itself, enhances the ability to look ahead better than visualisation tools alone. The team-leaders, as last planners become better equipped to take part in the continuous planning. A condition for the team-leader walk, as presented here, is that the construction is organised according to a systematic movement in time and spacesuch as TAKT production. The study is based on observations and interviews at two building projects where the team-leader walk was tested in 2018. While the validity is limited by the number of cases, the building company in study find the results so promising they have decided to implement the team-leader walk in further building projects.
This article details and reflects on how student learning was elevated to a new level through inv... more This article details and reflects on how student learning was elevated to a new level through inviting real life into the classroom of a course in cultural understanding, aimed at engineering students at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. In preceding years, the learning was organized as two group assignments where students authored a make-believe narrative, wherein a technical project was accomplished in collaboration with a foreign party. This year, the students' second project was a collaboration with social science students from the West University in Timișoara. The students not only learned facts about Romanian culture, but, more importantly, they became immersed in culture as an experience and a process, observing a turn from culture understood as a reified scientific entity, to culture as an environment or lifeworld. Rather than trying to approach culture at a distance, distance itself became the students' environment. Only as the students came to accept a state of unknowing, with associated feelings of frustration and anxiety, were they able to dwell in a nearness to Romanian culture quite unlike that in which a "native" dwells. The students' project solutions evocate this nearness. In previous projects, cultural challenges were hurdles for the technical product that needed solving much like any technical hurdle. This relationship was flipped upside down in the real collaboration, putting technical products in the service of culture rather than the other way around. We show and discuss how our openended pedagogical philosophy was critical in unlocking this new level of learning.
This article details and reflects on how student learning was elevated to a new level through inv... more This article details and reflects on how student learning was elevated to a new level through inviting real life into the classroom of a course in cultural understanding, aimed at engineering students at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. In preceding years, the learning was organized as two group assignments where students authored a make-believe narrative, wherein a technical project was accomplished in collaboration with a foreign party. This year, the students' second project was a collaboration with social science students from the West University in Timișoara. The students not only learned facts about Romanian culture, but, more importantly, they became immersed in culture as an experience and a process, observing a turn from culture understood as a reified scientific entity, to culture as an environment or lifeworld. Rather than trying to approach culture at a distance, distance itself became the students' environment. Only as the students came to accept a state of unknowing, with associated feelings of frustration and anxiety, were they able to dwell in a nearness to Romanian culture quite unlike that in which a "native" dwells. The students' project solutions evocate this nearness. In previous projects, cultural challenges were hurdles for the technical product that needed solving much like any technical hurdle. This relationship was flipped upside down in the real collaboration, putting technical products in the service of culture rather than the other way around. We show and discuss how our openended pedagogical philosophy was critical in unlocking this new level of learning.
Recently, considerable focus, e.g., in the fifth IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change)... more Recently, considerable focus, e.g., in the fifth IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) Assessment Report (2014) has been trained on why adaptation and mitigation have not been developed more than at present, with relatively few local government actions taken compared with, for example, more discursive policy agreement on the importance of the issue of climate change. Going beyond a focus on general limits and barriers, this comment suggests that one important issue is that climate change has not yet been sufficiently integrated into the state regulative structure of legislation and policy-making. A comparison between three cases suggests that local developments that are not supported in particular by binding regulation are unlikely to achieve the same general level of implementation as issues for which such regulative demands (and thereby also requirements for prioritization) exist. This constitutes an important consideration for the development of adaptation and mitigation as policy areas, including on the local level.
... diet of the larvae of some commercially important fish species (eg Purcell et al. andFyhn et ... more ... diet of the larvae of some commercially important fish species (eg Purcell et al. andFyhn et al., this volume). Recent studies on their ecophysiology have considerably increased our knowledge on their individual bioenergetics ...
Veilederen presenterer erfaringer, råd og tips fra forskningsprosjektet «Kontraktstrategier og s... more Veilederen presenterer erfaringer, råd og tips fra forskningsprosjektet «Kontraktstrategier og spesialistbasert samhandling» (KSS). Prosjektet har pågått fra 2017-2021 og har utforsket konsekvenser av og muligheter innenfor den nye trenden i næringen med økt vekt på samhandling i bygge- og anleggsprosjektene. Tidlig involvering av entreprenør i prosjekteringsprosessen har stått sentralt. De rådene og tipsene som presenteres i veilederen er ment som støtte til bedrifter, prosjektledere og andre som ønsker å legge til rette for økt samhandling og verdiskapning i bygge og anleggsprosjektene
This paper is about creating identity, soul and motivation in engineering design projects. We hav... more This paper is about creating identity, soul and motivation in engineering design projects. We have combined theory of rituals from social anthropology and practical knowledge from the theatre and brought it into the classroom of engineering design.
Recently, considerable focus, e.g., in the fifth IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change)... more Recently, considerable focus, e.g., in the fifth IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) Assessment Report (2014) has been trained on why adaptation and mitigation have not been developed more than at present, with relatively few local government actions taken compared with, for example, more discursive policy agreement on the importance of the issue of climate change. Going beyond a focus on general limits and barriers, this comment suggests that one important issue is that climate change has not yet been sufficiently integrated into the state regulative structure of legislation and policy-making. A comparison between three cases suggests that local developments that are not supported in particular by binding regulation are unlikely to achieve the same general level of implementation as issues for which such regulative demands (and thereby also requirements for prioritization) exist. This constitutes an important consideration for the development of adaptation and mitigation as policy areas, including on the local level.
This paper describes a new framework for approaching and evaluating product development processes... more This paper describes a new framework for approaching and evaluating product development processes by using working situations as the point of entry, and by viewing contextual factors as a means to improve design effectiveness and efficiency for the concurrent enterprise. The proposed way of achieving this is to actively configure working situations in order to ensure a better alignment between design goals, the underlying design process, design methods, and the contextual factors, including surroundings and technology. Design efficiency and effectiveness is ensured through a product program approach based on the concept of streamlining the design process by standardizing ICT tools to improve portability between working situations, and by differentiating the surroundings in order to configure value-adding environments capable of creating a collaborative atmosphere. The approach depends on finding ways of ensuring proper workplace configuration and adequate technology support in order...
Today, product development in distributed teams is gaining popularity. This often saves time, and... more Today, product development in distributed teams is gaining popularity. This often saves time, and it can be very cost-effective due to reduced business travel. At the same time, there has been a shift from video conferencing equipment to modern desktop-conferencing tools. As a result, the usual working situation is that each team member is sitting behind his or her PC. This paper addresses virtual collaboration in a larger perspective. This perspective connects active work surfaces with virtual collaboration tools. These work surfaces are used actively as an integrated part of a holistic approach. In particular, the importance of good visualization tools to create a shared understanding is emphasized. The goal is to equip the physical rooms and surroundings where we work, with virtual characteristics.
Sustainability has become a critical issue, calling for new conceptualizations of both problems a... more Sustainability has become a critical issue, calling for new conceptualizations of both problems and solutions. This special issue of the Nordic Journal of Science and Technology Studies, explore the concept of “Crafting Sustainability”. Sustainability is a hot topic in contemporary scholarly debates, with methodological, theoretical, and conceptual contributions from a wide array of research areas, also from Science and Technology Studies. Craft on the other hand has been less of a focal point, although all humans relate to craft on some level.
The building industry is becoming increasingly characterized by automated production, and in line... more The building industry is becoming increasingly characterized by automated production, and in line with this, the nature of craftsmanship is transforming. In this article, we look for a sustainable path for this transformation through a case study that follows a team of carpenters building a set of tower blocks at a high-tech building site using “lean” construction techniques and robotic production technology. The builders are organized according to complex schedules of lean construction, making work at the building site resemble that of a large machine. The builders hold multiple roles within this machine: more than simply “living mechanisms” inside the machine, they also take on more parental roles as “machinists,” employing their crafting skills in planning, problem solving, improvising, coordinating and fettling in order to make the building machine run smoothly and to minimize environmental uncertainty. The craftsmanship in action is characterized by what we call workmanship of ...
This paper describes a continuous process of making, sharing and using 'thick' documentation in a... more This paper describes a continuous process of making, sharing and using 'thick' documentation in a project wherein we co-designed three self-management tools with three participants with type I diabetes. Making, sharing and using thick documentation of these processes increased the individual cases' impact beyond the three participants and the design team involved. Thick documentation represents the material and immaterial aspects of a design process-the latter referring to the dynamic range of participants' perspectives-in a readable way and motivates use and documentation by others. We discuss the development of two different kinds of thick documentation for two processes and evaluate how they enabled knowledge building among existing and new participants and how all actors valued this.
Proc. 27th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction (IGLC)
The digital shift has arrived in the construction industry, with the aim of increasing the effici... more The digital shift has arrived in the construction industry, with the aim of increasing the efficiency. However, how should the industry implement digital tools? And how should a human-technology relationship work? The purpose of this paper is to illuminate how the construction industry can close the gap between the potential benefits and the harvested benefits of implementation of AI. This paper presents research based on a comprehensive literature review, a case study of a construction project in Norway, and three external interviews. The case study consists of a document study and seventeen semi-structured interviews. The experiences established through this research indicate that it is possible to gain experience from the implementation of basic digital tools when implementing advanced technology, such as artificial intelligence (AI). When come at AI, the human-AI trust will be the most decisive factor for a successful implementation. This paper constitutes a piece of pioneer work, as it investigates the implementation of AI, and how humans and technology should work together. This research is limited down to one case study as well as three digital tools. To extend the research it is recommended to discuss the adaption of AI on premise of the users, collect more empirical data and look into experiences done by other industries.
Proc. 27th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction (IGLC)
This paper presents findings of a study about how to extend the use of Takt-time planning in cons... more This paper presents findings of a study about how to extend the use of Takt-time planning in construction projects. The study is based on analysis of two construction projects involving non-repetitive work that, after failing to use Takt-time planning, had to return to ordinary methods of production. To uncover causes to the problems, the research method Theory-building process tracing is used. Results show that extended use of Takt-time planning presupposes effective coordination in the projecting process and a proactive and well organised production control in the construction phase. It also presupposes high involvement of the craftsmen and crew-leaders in the Takt-time planning and production. The method of theory-building process tracing is transferred from political science and historical studies to construction projects. The research method offers a unit of hypothesis testing and cumulative practical theory development, which can be of general value for construction research. Although the validation of the present empirical results is thorough, based on interviews and workshops, the researchers own observations of the processes studied could have been more extensive.
Proc. 27th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction (IGLC)
In this case study from the building industry we present a framework for, and experiences with bu... more In this case study from the building industry we present a framework for, and experiences with building and sustaining an organizational culture to create teams with a collaborative mindset for disruptive performance driven by extraordinary ambitions. It demonstrates that it is possible to develop a culture and mindset for success by actively combining concepts from social anthropology and team-and performance leadership. This is achieved by developing a cultural mythology; creating rituals for learning, developing, sharing and coordinating mindset; connecting collective and personal goals using personal goal plans; managing mindset using mindset map and digital organization charts. The study also shows that developing organizational culture cannot only be approached as a method with structured set of rules to follow. It also needs to be acknowledged as form of craft provided by a combination of experienced leadership highly skilled in enterprise-and team development where the motivation to change is fueled by extraordinary ambitions of disruption. Last, the leaders must commit and reinvest in sustaining the culture both in economic and emotional terms. Here transparency is required, and this must be done regularly to maintain a high level of trust among all the members of the organization, so all the people can be active in developing and impacting their own culture -there is no room for bystanders.
Proc. 27th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction (IGLC)
This paper introduces the concept of 'team-leader walk' as part of the construction process organ... more This paper introduces the concept of 'team-leader walk' as part of the construction process organized through TAKT production. The purpose of the team-leader walk, is to help teamleaders see, communicate and plan further ahead in the construction process. By systematically walking through the different zones of the building under construction, while discussing plans and coordination issues one to three weeks ahead, the building site is used as communication tool in the interdisciplinary communication between the teamleaders. Appealing to the often-well-developed practical intelligence of the team-leaders, we argue that the building site itself, enhances the ability to look ahead better than visualisation tools alone. The team-leaders, as last planners become better equipped to take part in the continuous planning. A condition for the team-leader walk, as presented here, is that the construction is organised according to a systematic movement in time and spacesuch as TAKT production. The study is based on observations and interviews at two building projects where the team-leader walk was tested in 2018. While the validity is limited by the number of cases, the building company in study find the results so promising they have decided to implement the team-leader walk in further building projects.
metoderaooprt knyttet til forskningsprosjektet "Produktutvikling i det virtuelle rom", NTNU Norge... more metoderaooprt knyttet til forskningsprosjektet "Produktutvikling i det virtuelle rom", NTNU Norges teknisk-naturvitenskapelige Universitet Fakultet for maskinteknikk Institutt for maskinkonstruksjon og materialteknikk
Through nine ethnographic case-studies, Edges of Global Transformation explores situations where ... more Through nine ethnographic case-studies, Edges of Global Transformation explores situations where global transformations associated with neoliberalism meet local realities. The “edge” of transformation is characterized by uncertainty, as old patterns are consumed and new formed. The nine case studies from Africa, Europe and the Middle East shed light on how uncertainty plays an inevitable and essential role in the grey zone between macro-transformations and local responses. Despite the tremendous difference in precariousness between these cases, each contributor explores ways in which transformations are conceived and acted upon within the space of possibility that is opened and apprehended locally. The role of uncertainty as an active force is explored throughout the book. While in some cases, uncertainty has a clear restricting effect; other cases illustrate its potential as a productive force. As a contribution to understanding the dynamic of the local realities of global change, the book will be valuable reading for anyone interested in globalization and the neoliberal world order.
For tre generasjoner trøndere har det å havne på sykehus vært ensbetydende med å komme til Høyblo... more For tre generasjoner trøndere har det å havne på sykehus vært ensbetydende med å komme til Høyblokka, denne kjempen av 12 etasjer betong som utgjorde det meste av Sentralsykehuset, som det het før. De første 6 etasjene ble åpnet for pasienter sommern 1959. Siden den gang har blokka vært åsted for fødsel og død, lidelse og lettelse for folk i trondheimsområdet og Trøndelag. Den har huset de aller mest kritiske øyeblikkene i folks liv – og død. Slik har den blitt et ankerpunkt i befolkningens livshistorie og et emosjonelt landemerke i Trondheim, med en betydning som til og med kan sette Nidarosdomen i skyggen. I 2010 skulle Høyblokka rives for å gi plass til det nye universitetssykehuset. Skulle den bare forsvinne sånn uten videre? Lenge så det slik ut, men i siste øyeblikk skjedde det noe: Med feste i et konsept skapt av Barbro Rønning bestemte en gruppe kunstnere og forskere seg for å gi Høyblokka en verdig avskjed. Det kunstbaserte forskningsprosjektet «Høyblokka post- mortem» ble lansert. Målet var å samle inn minner fra blokka og lage en storslagen gravferd i form av en minneforestilling for Trondheims befolkning i ruinene av blokka mens den ble revet. Denne boka handler om erfaringene vi gjorde i dette arbeidet. Om prosjektet Høyblokka – post mortem, om de kunstneriske erfaringene, om minnene og om avskjedens betydning.
Denne avhandlingen springer ut av en akademisk og antropologisk tradisjon, og forhåpentligvis kan... more Denne avhandlingen springer ut av en akademisk og antropologisk tradisjon, og forhåpentligvis kan den også bidra tilbake til denne tradisjonen. I gjennomgangen av de 30 Jackson 1996 og Csordas 1994 Denne måten å referere på er mer utbredt blant historikere enn blant antropologer.
Certain experiences, such as for example shamanic journeys to other worlds or encounters with spi... more Certain experiences, such as for example shamanic journeys to other worlds or encounters with spirits, have such an “impossible” nature that they pose a challenge for people who experience them as well as for those who hear reports of them. In this book I explore a possible ground on which such experiences may be understood. As empirical basis I use experiences from Saami shamanism. The focus is first and foremost ontological.
One of the main paradoxes caused by such experiences is that otherworld things, like spirits, don’t obey the same laws as physical things (they change shape, move through walls, appear and disappear before our eyes). Still they seem to be more than just “mental things” (imaginations). Starting from the only thing we may say for shore about their nature - that they are experienced, I explore their nature. This begins as a phenomenological exploration, but becomes ontological. It is the nature of these otherworld things I seek to understand. This implies a general ontological investigation of all things, in what I call “the world of experience”.
The book consists of three parts:
In part one I introduce the world of experience. Focusing on the ontology of things, I argue that the nature we assign to the physical world (as consisting of discrete objects) actually demands that we project upon it a nature that only can exist as experience, (the gathering and separation that make discrete things is an act that takes place in experience). The nature of experience and the nature of physical things seem to be confused. My approach to solve this problem is to focus on the process of objectification, in which things are constituted as things.
The key to understand otherworld things is to locate them in the process of objectification, rather than assign to them the nature of physical or mental things. I explore questions regarding their boarders, what kind of logic they obey and how our own role in the experience of them.
In part two I explore some challenges in the research of otherworld experiences. It is not enough to understand such experiences in theory, how do we reach them? I suggest a hermeneutical approach using our own experience as a tool of exploration, focusing on studies of texts, ethnographic fieldwork and participation in shamanic practice.
In part three I move from a focus on otherworld experiences to a more general exploration. Here I let the paradoxes posed by otherworld experiences serve as openings, or “koans” for a general understanding that also includes “normal” experiences. . The focus is still ontological.
The whole book is written as an exploration, or a path of questioning. I have therefore called the different chapters “explorations”, and I invite the reader to join the exploration to see in his or her own world of experience.
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Papers by Håkon Fyhn
I 2010 skulle Høyblokka rives for å gi plass til det nye universitetssykehuset. Skulle den bare forsvinne sånn uten videre? Lenge så det slik ut, men i siste øyeblikk skjedde det noe: Med feste i et konsept skapt av Barbro Rønning bestemte en gruppe kunstnere og forskere seg for å gi Høyblokka en verdig avskjed. Det kunstbaserte forskningsprosjektet «Høyblokka post- mortem» ble lansert. Målet var å samle inn minner fra blokka og lage en storslagen gravferd i form av en minneforestilling for Trondheims befolkning i ruinene av blokka mens den ble revet.
Denne boka handler om erfaringene vi gjorde i dette arbeidet. Om prosjektet Høyblokka – post mortem, om de kunstneriske erfaringene, om minnene og om avskjedens betydning.
One of the main paradoxes caused by such experiences is that otherworld things, like spirits, don’t obey the same laws as physical things (they change shape, move through walls, appear and disappear before our eyes). Still they seem to be more than just “mental things” (imaginations). Starting from the only thing we may say for shore about their nature - that they are experienced, I explore their nature. This begins as a phenomenological exploration, but becomes ontological. It is the nature of these otherworld things I seek to understand. This implies a general ontological investigation of all things, in what I call “the world of experience”.
The book consists of three parts:
In part one I introduce the world of experience. Focusing on the ontology of things, I argue that the nature we assign to the physical world (as consisting of discrete objects) actually demands that we project upon it a nature that only can exist as experience, (the gathering and separation that make discrete things is an act that takes place in experience). The nature of experience and the nature of physical things seem to be confused. My approach to solve this problem is to focus on the process of objectification, in which things are constituted as things.
The key to understand otherworld things is to locate them in the process of objectification, rather than assign to them the nature of physical or mental things. I explore questions regarding their boarders, what kind of logic they obey and how our own role in the experience of them.
In part two I explore some challenges in the research of otherworld experiences. It is not enough to understand such experiences in theory, how do we reach them? I suggest a hermeneutical approach using our own experience as a tool of exploration, focusing on studies of texts, ethnographic fieldwork and participation in shamanic practice.
In part three I move from a focus on otherworld experiences to a more general exploration. Here I let the paradoxes posed by otherworld experiences serve as openings, or “koans” for a general understanding that also includes “normal” experiences. . The focus is still ontological.
The whole book is written as an exploration, or a path of questioning. I have therefore called the different chapters “explorations”, and I invite the reader to join the exploration to see in his or her own world of experience.