The Invention of Technology

What is technology? How and why didtechniques- including materials, tools, processes and products - become central subjects of study in anthropology and archaeology? In this book, Nathan Schlanger explores the invention of technology through the work of the eminent ethnologist and prehistorian André Leroi-Gourhan (1911-1986), author ofgroundbreaking works such asGesture and Speech. While employedattheMusée de l'Hommein Paris, Leroi-Gourhan initially specialized in ethnographic studies of 'material civilizations'. By the 1950s, however, his approach broadened to encompass evolutionary and behavioral perspectives from history, biology, psychology and philosophy. Focused on the material dimensions of techniques, Leroi-Gourhan's influential investigations ranged from traditional craft activities to automated production. They also anticipated both the information age and the environmental crisis of today. Schlanger's study offers new insights into thecomplexity of Leroi-Gourhan's interdisciplinary research, methods, and results, spanning across the 20thcenturysocial sciences and humanities.