To Make is Human: An Exploration of the Meaning and Making of Knowledge

This project explores the breadth of motivations underlying the engagement of Makers. The Maker Movement is a social movement bridging technology, human expression, experiential learning, and community. This project aims to use ethnographic methods to explore the broader social meanings of the Maker Movement. 

Our working hypothesis is that the Maker Movement constitutes more than a tech-inspired DIY community of hackers and hobbyists. We suggest that the Movement draws participants to engage in broadly conceived critical citizen science promoting diverse perspectives and challenging notions of expert knowledge and learning.

The project aims to conduct an ethnographic exploration among West Coast Makers in a variety of venues. The data generated will provide an emic view of participant motivations for Making.