Contested Imaginaries of Future Technologies

This open access book explores two previously separate strands of research: socio-technical imaginaries, and the production and contestation of space. It addresses the controversial role of emerging and speculative technologies in debates on sustainability, Anthropocene governance as well as urban and regional development. Highlighting the linkages between sociotechnical and spatial imaginaries, the chapters in this book contribute to debates about how futures are negotiated and constructed. Expectations vested in technologies are considered crucial for these processes.

To this end, the book engages with three technological fields that promise to address social and ecological challenges, today and in the future: renewable energy technologies enabling low-carbon transitions, digital applications as proposed for smart futures, as well as planetary and geo-engineering technologies. By exploring both the spatial and political dimensions of sociotechnical imaginaries – bringing human geography and science and technology studies into closer dialogue – this book opens up new lines of debate within the social sciences and provides an important contribution to the analysis of the spatial politics of future technologies.

Benno Fladvad is Assistant Professor of Natural Science Peace Research with a focus on Climate and Security at the University of Hamburg, Germany. His research centres on climate security in Arctic contexts, nuclear justice, and energy transitions. Previously, he received his doctorate from the University of Kiel, Germany, and held a postdoctoral position at Hamburg University.

Sören Becker is Assistant Professor of Human Geographies of Sustainable Transformation at Marburg University, Germany. He specialises on the transformation of energy systems, climate adaptation and the underlying spatial development strategies. After his doctorate from the University of Hamburg, he held postdoctoral positions at Humboldt University Berlin and the University of Bonn, Germany.