Welcome to the course "Histories of Silicon Valley"
The “Valley of Genius” is being dismantled. But despite the tech industry making headlines due to major layoffs, and failed (Metaverse, NFT), criminal (Theranos, FTX) or technofascist (RAGE/DOGE) projects, the Valley is thriving. Accelerated by the current AI hype, this unprecedented economic power got only shadowed by its political and cultural power.
This seminar marks the beginning of an end: an end to the grand promises and fantastic visions of the “Valley of Genius”. Before silicone changed Silicon Valley and reformed the region into a global place of legends, phantasms and economic power, the region was primarily known to grow fruit and almonds. Before Silicon Valley build its myth of origin around counter-cultural hippies and individual geniuses in garages, the regions infrastructure got build by robber barons, industry tycoons – and public funding through research and development. The history of Silicon Valley is rooted in Cold War politics and military and security technologies, and the stellar rise was only made possible with defense contracts during and after World War II - and deregulation campaigns through the US government. The region’s contemporary tech firms share this history.
This reading intensive seminar operates on three levels: First, we will look at the piece of land around Palo Alto and the imperial powers who shaped it. Secondly, we will demystify the phantasms that are not only build into our history books, but into our technologies as well. Thirdly, we will learn how to use (media) historical and genealogical methods to follow these threads into the present.
- Dozent/in: Laura Hille