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Astride Two Worlds: Technology and the American Civil War ed. by Barton C. Hacker (review)

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1081 broader fields of knowledge come to bear on specific buildings and environments. Particularly strong is the discussion of Foucault’s concept of biopower in relation to the barracks, which was… Click to show full abstract

1081 broader fields of knowledge come to bear on specific buildings and environments. Particularly strong is the discussion of Foucault’s concept of biopower in relation to the barracks, which was described as a “biopolitical and sanitary haven” in the context of a larger “insanitary wasteland” (p. 84). Leveraging the racial dimensions of this discriminatory order seems particularly promising for this topic, though that promise is largely unfulfilled as the issue is only periodically referenced. More generally, while the book largely succeeds in its aim of challenging the normative definition of tropical architecture through a genealogical approach, at times the structure of the book into a series of closely contained discussions seems a detriment to a more expansive exploration of its themes. These are, however, small complaints lodged against a fine book, as its theoretical and historical approach is especially strong and worthy of further exploration. Overall, it is a welcome addition to an important area of scholarship, appealing equally to architectural historians as well as historians of technology.

Keywords: american civil; technology american; astride two; two worlds; technology; worlds technology

Journal Title: Technology and Culture
Year Published: 2017

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