How construction shaped globalization: The nineteenth and twentieth century Eurasian cases

Abstract

<p>Did construction only play a role as applied science or technical practice following political, economic and institutional powers in the nineteenth and twentieth century globalization, as the enormous body of literature in world history as a historical actor in shaping globalization. It is based on an examination of historical and primary sources from engineers and the current scholarship from the construction history and history of science and technology. In this paper, I clarify the neighbor notions of “technology” and “applied science”, which have been studied extensively, but also “construction” and “engineering” that are problematic. I then identify two critical gaps that are partly responsible for the said image. One lies between the epistemological understanding of construction and the empirical studies about it. The other derives from the fractures of understanding engineering between engineers and cultural-social historians. I suggest to re-orient construction history to the neglected horizon of human-nature relationship, and develop more interdisciplinary approaches to tackle methodological challenges. In this context the term “Eurasian” gathers two layers of meaning. One refers to the geographical landmass of Asia and Europe. The other implies non-Western approach, including methodological and theoretical efforts that are not limited to the geographical boundaries.<br></p>