Ebook: Teknikhistoria: om tekniskt kunnande och dess betydelse för individ och samhälle

The role of technology in historical development is rightly beginning to receive more and more attention in teaching, research and public debate. This is quite natural, since technology is and has been one of the most important driving forces in the development of society.

This book deals with important technological phenomena from different periods of our history. The aim is to discuss the conditions for technological progress, but also to find explanations for setbacks and stagnation. Various patterns emerge from the myriad of details. Patterns that require discussion at a different level than that of individual items such as the steam engine or the like. Examples of questions that arise are: Why did an industrial revolution take place in England and not in China, the country that dominated the technological scene for so long, and what are the reasons why England - after more than a hundred years of industrial development - lost its leading position to the USA and Germany?

An important aim of this book has been to produce a presentation that places the development of the West in a broader development framework than is often the case in presentations such as this. In other words, it is not only the history of the West that is portrayed, but one also encounters elements from other parts of the world, especially Asia.

Staffan Hansson is a Doctor of Philosophy and Associate Professor of History of Technology at Lulea University of Technology. He has many years of experience in teaching and has also worked with teacher training for many years.