#32: 'Hula Hoops not Bicycles': Genevieve Bell talks Anthropology, Technology & Building the Future

"We were bringing the voices of people that didn't get inside the building, inside the building and making them count. And I took that as an incredible responsibility, that you should give those voices weight and dignity and power."

We are excited to announce that this is the FIRST EPISODE OF OUR STS SERIES! The goal of the STS (science and technology studies, or science, technology and society - your pick!) Series is to explore the ways that humans, science and technology interact. While we have released some STS episodes in 2018, we still had some left in the bag from the 4S Conference PLUS many new ones as well. Let's go!

Genevieve Bell, Director of the Autonomy, Agency and Assurance (also known as the 3A) Insitute and Florence McKenzie Chair (which promotes the inclusive use of technology in society) at the Australian National University, Vice President and Senior Fellow at Intel Corporation, and ABC's 2017 Boyer Lecturer, talks to our own Jodie-Lee Trembath about building the future and a question at the heart of STS inquiry: "what is important to humans and how we can make sense of that to unpack the world that we live in?". They begin by reflecting on the Acknowledgement of Country that we begin every podcast episode with and the power that comes from realising our positions, then discuss being an anthropologist in Silicon Valley, learning how to 'translate' anthropology to different audiences, predicting the world in 10 years time and the importance of rituals (especially when finishing your PhD!).

For more about 3AI, check out their website: https://3ainstitute.cecs.anu.edu.au 

Or check out their LinkedIn page: https://au.linkedin.com/company/anu-3a-institute

QUOTATIONS (full list on website)

"For me, the notion of always being acutely aware of where you are located in time and space is a powerful way of being and to me the ability to do that in Australia is a big thing. Part of why that is an important one to me is the, I've spent the last 30 years living in the United States. And that's a place that also has history with Indigenous people and colonial forces. It also has existing Indigenous communities throughout the nation. And people don't acknowledge that. And there's never a notion of a Welcome to Country or an Acknowledgement of Country."

"Mum was really clear that you should always be working to make the world a better place. That you actually had a moral obligation to make the world better than the one you found it. And not for yourself but for others."

LINKS

For more on Brewarrina, the town with the fish weirs: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/jul/10/fish-traps-brewarrina-extraordinary-ancient-structures-protection

If you'd like to read a bit about Genevieve's mother, who is also an anthropologist, see this biography of Diane: http://www.womenaustralia.info/leaders/biogs/WLE0596b.htm 

Genevieve mentions doing fieldwork and 'deep hanging out' at Intel, for a quick definition of what this is, give this a read: http://cyborganthropology.com/Deep_Hanging_Out 

To become more versed in the English "Yeah, nah"/"Nah, yeah" Life Hacker has got you covered: https://www.lifehacker.com.au/2015/06/the-difference-between-yeah-nah-and-nah-yeah/ 

To read more about the Cybernetics Conferences:

C. Pias (2016) 'Cybernetics: The Macy Conferences 1946-1953: The Complete Transactions', University of Chicago Press.

The article Genevieve mentions called 'For God's Sake, Margaret' is available to read here: http://www.alice.id.tue.nl/references/bateson-mead-1976.pdf