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Old Dreams, New Means: an Exploration of Visions and Situated Knowledge in Information Technology
Author(s) -
Jansson Maria,
Mörtberg Christina,
Berg Elisabeth
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
gender, work and organization
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.159
H-Index - 73
eISSN - 1468-0432
pISSN - 0968-6673
DOI - 10.1111/j.1468-0432.2007.00349.x
Subject(s) - vision , situated , politics , power (physics) , state (computer science) , service (business) , sociology , public relations , quality (philosophy) , political science , business , epistemology , marketing , computer science , law , philosophy , physics , algorithm , quantum mechanics , artificial intelligence , anthropology
The aim of this article is to explore the tensions and ambivalences of new and old technology and political visions of keeping viable, quality care and services for elderly citizens through the use of new information technologies. The visions of politicians and social service managers of keeping alive the welfare state and retaining its ability to offer quality care and services for elderly citizens are compared with the experiences of female care assistants and their expectations of technology. A feminist figure — the cyborg — will be used in this exploration. We consider how care assistants are integrated in networks of socio‐technical relations between humans and non‐humans, and the extent to which gender or asymmetrical power relations between women and men intervene in their stories.