Constructing Technology in the Mining Workplace: Gold Mining in Depression-Era Fairbanks, Alaska

Author(s): Tamara Holman

Year: 2015

Summary

Industrial landscapes can present a rather impersonal perspective due to their immense scale and emphasis upon technical processes.  Anthropological perspectives on technology nevertheless emphasize that all technological systems are socially constructed, drawing attention to the political and cultural considerations behind decision-making.  This paper utilizes a sociotechnical systems approach to investigate depression-era gold mining near Fairbanks, Alaska.  Attention is given to the relationships among miners and the technological cultures of work as identified through census data, mining company records, and findings from archaeological surveys conducted between 2011 and 2014.  Specifically, this paper examines how social networks influenced technological choice among lode (hard-rock) miners and posits how social networks are reflected in the material evidence.

Cite this Record

Constructing Technology in the Mining Workplace: Gold Mining in Depression-Era Fairbanks, Alaska. Tamara Holman. Presented at Society for Historical Archaeology, Seattle, Washington. 2015 ( tDAR id: 433949)

Keywords

Temporal Keywords
1930s

Spatial Coverage

min long: -129.199; min lat: 24.495 ; max long: -66.973; max lat: 49.359 ;

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 137