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Innovators in Urban China: Makerspaces and Marginality with Impact

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  • Monique Bolli

    (Institute for Area and Global Studies, College of Humanities, EPFL—Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland)

Abstract

In China, the emergence of makerspaces, hackerspaces, Fab Labs, and innovation labs reflects top-down and bottom-up dynamics. The grassroots movements and governmental efforts promoting innovation and creativity are part of the maker trend linked to the rise of the Internet and access to digital tools. The urban imaginary of the maker culture creates networks and events both globally and locally. The first makerspaces opened in Shanghai and Shenzhen in 2010 and attracted the attention of the government, which published an initiative in 2015 that influenced the typology of makerspaces in China. The ephemeral spaces for innovators, hackers, makers, and entrepreneurs shaped by this cultural context and local ecosystem are urban phenomena investigated with social anthropological and experimental methodologies to better understand the extension and platformisation of these autonomous and co-opted communities and narratives. This research fills the knowledge gap on makerspaces in China in recent years, showing the impact of governmental initiatives on a grassroots culture, the possible roles of makers, and the complexity and unlimitedness of the maker culture through international partnerships for projects such as Designed in Ethiopia and Kabakoo Academies.

Suggested Citation

  • Monique Bolli, 2020. "Innovators in Urban China: Makerspaces and Marginality with Impact," Urban Planning, Cogitatio Press, vol. 5(4), pages 68-77.
    • Handle: RePEc:cog:urbpla:v5:y:2020:i:4:p:68-77
    DOI: 10.17645/up.v5i4.3218
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Madeleine Akrich & Michel Callon & Bruno Latour & Adrian Monaghan, 2002. "The Key To Success In Innovation Part Ii: The Art Of Choosing Good Spokespersons," International Journal of Innovation Management (ijim), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 6(02), pages 207-225.
    2. Adrian Smith, 2017. "Social Innovation, Democracy and Makerspaces," SPRU Working Paper Series 2017-10, SPRU - Science Policy Research Unit, University of Sussex Business School.
    3. Madeleine Akrich & Michel Callon & Bruno Latour & Adrian Monaghan, 2002. "The Key To Success In Innovation Part I: The Art Of Interessement," International Journal of Innovation Management (ijim), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 6(02), pages 187-206.
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    Cited by:

    1. Pengfei Fu & Zhipeng Zang, 2024. "Between the center and periphery: Commodification, formalisation, and infrastructuralisation of grassroots innovation," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 19(1), pages 1-15, January.

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