1st Edition
Dangerous Technologies Crime and Digital Divides in (South) Africa
By Brandaan Huigen
Copyright 2026
256 Pages
11 B/W Illustrations
by
Routledge
256 Pages
11 B/W Illustrations
by
Routledge
Also available as eBook on:
Dangerous Technologies focuses on the prevalent theft of consumer electronics in post-Apartheid South Africa. Through a material culture perspective, it explores why these objects have commonly been targeted by bandits and subsequently circulated through the criminal underground. The author traces ethnographically how devices travel between various social spheres, delving into the experiences... Read more
Introduction: Dangerous technologies 1. Crime waves and electronics 2. Glossy electronics as wealth 3. "Robber bait": Living with targeted electronics 4. Tech bandits and burgling work 5. "Kroon": Electronic currency of the underworld 6. Radical redistribution 7. Smuggling gadgets to African villages 8. "Mahala": Consuming stolen electronics 9. Policing electronics theft Conclusion: Desirable technologies.
Biography
Brandaan Huigen is a Research Fellow in the Department of Anthropology at University College London, UK.
