Dear historians of technology,
We are so excited to see you in Viña del Mar in less than a month!
Will this be your first time in Chile? If so, Eden Medina has prepared a list of books and movies to help you get started. Check it out below.
Let me highlight a few of the films on her list that I found particularly gripping. Patricio Guzmán’s “Nostalgia for the Light” weaves together the 8,0000 year history of human habitation in the Atacama, the big bang, and the women who continue to search for the remains of men “disappeared” by the Pinochet regime; it’s mesmerizing. “The Chicago Boys” narrates how the dictatorship brought neoliberal economists to power, with lasting effects. On an entirely different note, the feature film “A Fantastic Woman” centers on a transgender woman in Santiago; it’s beautiful.
To quench your histotech thirst, check out Eduardo Galeano’s classic The Open Veins of Latin America, which remains a riveting overview of the colonial/capitalist dynamics that have shaped South American history. Or, for the most recent work, take a look the latest issue of Technology and Culture, which features a juicy special section on Latin America that includes both research articles and book reviews. Last but not least, this is also a good time to revisit Eden Medina’s own Edelstein-winning Cybernetic Revolutionaries, or some of her newer work. She was too modest to include these in her list, but she is after all one of our resident experts!
Enjoy your browsing, and see you soon.
Gabrielle Hecht
SHOT President