Reconstruction of ‘technological pasts’: an appraisal of the ‘work history method’

Abstract

To use the ‘work history method’ which is described in this article implies systematic collection and statistical treatment of information on technological change based on oral tradition. Important changes in the respondents' careers arc registered and, based on this information, a picture of the technological development at village level is constructed. The method, as applied in the two case studies of technological change in Sri Lankan and Malaysian fisheries, is described step by step. Finally, the limitations of the method and the possibility of gaining new knowledge through its use are described.