Connected bookcover

Connected

How a Mexican Village Built Its Own Cell Phone Network
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Description

This is the true story of how, against all odds, a remote Mexican pueblo built its own autonomous cell phone network--without help from telecom companies or the government. Anthropologist Roberto J. González paints a vivid and nuanced picture of life in a Oaxaca mountain village and the collective tribulation, triumph, and tragedy the community experienced in pursuit of getting connected. In doing so, this book captures the challenges and contradictions facing Mexico's indigenous peoples today, as they struggle to wire themselves into the 21st century using mobile technologies, ingenuity, and sheer determination. It also holds a broader lesson about the great paradox of the digital age, by exploring how constant connection through virtual worlds can hinder our ability to communicate with those around us.

Product Details

PublisherUniversity of California Press
Publish DateAugust 10, 2020
Pages274
LanguageEnglish
TypeBook iconPaperback / softback
EAN/UPC9780520344211
Dimensions8.2 X 5.4 X 0.8 inches | 0.7 pounds

About the Author

Roberto J. González is chair of the Department of Anthropology at San José State University. He is the author of several books, including Zapotec Science: Farming and Food in the Northern Sierra of Oaxaca.

Reviews

"Connected is an alluring book for those of us living in the twenty-first century who have never really had to think twice about the media infrastructure we rely on to communicate or what it takes to build it in a remote part of the world."-- "Current Anthropology"
"Connected...offers a succinct, enjoyable, and concrete roadmap for thinking critically about the many faces of Oaxaca and the many paths Oaxacans are forging."-- "Mexican Studies/Estudios Mexicanos"

"The case study demonstrates that alternatives to commercial service were possible. However, the community still depended on surrounding infrastructures as well as external technological and legal expertise. González's book is a crucial contribution to understanding this."

-- "Technology and Culture"
"Readers will appreciate the clarity, warmth and humility of the authorial voice, which makes the book a delightful read. Gonzalez paints an empathetic picture of a community at a moment of profound change. . . . Students and teachers will find this a valuable case study for reflecting on ethnographic realities in the digital age."-- "PoLAR: Political and Legal Anthropology Review"
"A fascinating account of rural innovation."-- "New Scientist"

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