essay

Microtechnology in rural Buganda

Technology and social changeProspect Heights, Ill.Published In 1987 • Pages: 244-267

By: Robbins, Michael C., Kilbride, Philip L..

AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
This is an investigation of the impact of microtechnologies on the social structure and culture of rural South Buganda. The specific microtechnologies examined are bicycles, radios, flashlights, lanterns, and watches. Besides the prestige value of owning the above items, the authors also found that i) the increased mobility afforded by bicycles enhanced economic activities and increased social interaction and communication among distant kin; ii) as a source of much new information, radios broadened social horizons and helped to relieve boredom; iii) watches facilitated the scheduling, regulating and coordinating of individual and group behavior; iv) lanterns and flashlights extended the day for social intercourse. The authors also looked at hair straightening which they argue has became a symbol of women's identification with modern culture.
SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
Social personality
Acculturation and culture contact
Social relationships and groups
Ordering of time
cultureCulture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC)
Ganda
HRAF PubDateThe date HRAF published the document
1998
RegionThe area the document pertains to
Africa
Sub RegionThe more specific area the document pertains to, which is located within the Region
Eastern Africa
Document TypeMay include journal articles, essays, collections of essays, monographs, or chapters/parts of monographs
essay
Evaluation
Creator TypeThe type of person writing the document, e.g. Ethnographer, Missionary, Archaeologist, Folklorist, Linguist, Indigenous Person, and so on.
Ethnologist
Document Rating A ranking done by HRAF anthropologists based on the strength of the source material on a scale of 1 to 5, as follows: 1 - poor; 2 - fair; 3 - good, useful data, but not uniformly excellent; 4 - excellent secondary data; 5 - excellent primary data.
5: Excellent Primary Data
AnalystThe HRAF anthropologist who subject indexed the document and prepared other materials for the eHRAF culture/tradition collection
Ian Skoggard ; 1997
Field DateThe date the researcher conducted the fieldwork or archival research that produced the document
1967, 1969
Coverage DateThe date or dates that the information in the document pertains to
1967-1969
Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)
Uganda
NotesAdditional notes
Michael C. Robbins and Philip L. Kilbride
Includes bibliographical references
LCCNLibrary of Congress Control Number
87115027
LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
Ganda (African people)