Article
Silicon utopias: the making of a tech startuo ecosystem in Manchester (UK)
Author/s | Pfeilstetter, Richard |
Department | Universidad de Sevilla. Departamento de Antropología Social |
Publication Date | 2017 |
Deposit Date | 2019-01-22 |
Published in |
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Abstract | ‘Silicon utopias’, the hope for a green, affluent and happy future through
the creation of new tech-businesses, are today informing many urban
development processes globally. In this contribution, I look at the ... ‘Silicon utopias’, the hope for a green, affluent and happy future through the creation of new tech-businesses, are today informing many urban development processes globally. In this contribution, I look at the recent remodeling of Manchester (Northern England) as an entrepreneurial city. In particular, I present a specific government investment scheme and its relation to the work of a group of local lobbyists who have been promoting a new tech startup community in the city since 2012. Stemming from this empirical example, I explore the interplay between local entrepreneurial dreams and the state’s promotion of startups. The paper concludes with the argument that an anthropologically informed concept of cynicism can contribute to a nuanced reading of silicon utopias and dystopias. |
Citation | Pfeilstetter, R. (2017). Silicon utopias: the making of a tech startuo ecosystem in Manchester (UK). Suomen Antropologi, 42 (1), 91-102. |
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