When is an Affordance? Bodies, Technologies and Action Possibilities

摘要: Borrowed from ecological psychology, the concept of affordances is often said to offer social study technology a means re-framing question what is, and not, 'social' about technological artefacts. The concept, many argue, enables us chart safe course between perils determinism constructivism. debate still ongoing this paper contribution it. Drawing on ethnographic work ways artefacts engage, are engaged by disabled bodies, we propose that 'affordances' such objects not reducible their material constitution but inextricably bound up with specific, historically situated modes engagement life.