Hagiography, revisionism & blasphemy in Internet histories: Internet Histories: Vol 1, No 1-2
Hagiography, revisionism & blasphemy in Internet histories
ABSTRACT
As a whole, existing histories of the Internet's creation and development are stories of success and triumph. In this respect, they resemble hagiographies, a literary genre that consists of accounts of Christian saints and their miraculous deeds. Internet historians should break free of their familiar hagiographic mode, and treat their historical subjects more critically. The starting point for revisionist histories of networking is an acceptance that the Internet is flawed, dangerous and ephemeral.
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Andrew L. Russell
Andrew L. Russell is Professor of History and Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences at SUNY Polytechnic Institute in Utica and Albany, New York. He is the author of Open Standards and the Digital Age: History, Ideology, and Networks (Cambridge University Press, 2014) and co-editor of Ada's Legacy: Cultures of Computing from the Victorian to the Digital Age (Morgan & Claypool, 2015). His publications include articles on Internet history, modular design, standardization in the United States and Europe, and the monopoly Bell System, as well as articles for popular venues such as Aeon, IEEE Spectrum and Slate.Measure
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