Alev Coban

Alev is a PhD student in the Department of Human Geography at Goethe-University Frankfurt. In her PhD project, she is using STS, postcolonial and ethnographic approaches focusing on global ‘South-North’ relations to research places and practices of innovation in Nairobi. Specifically, she is interested in the socio-material practices of prototyping, making and innovating in the context of tremendous investment in technological development by multinationals and development organizations. Her research therefore focuses on the techno-politics in engineering and hardware projects, the working conditions in makerspaces and the post-colonial specifics of Nairobi’s tech scene.

This PECE essay helps to answer the STS Across Borders analytic question: “What people, projects, and products exemplify how this STS formation has developed over time?”

This essay highlights prominant and upcoming individuals working on critical science and technology issues in Africa and is part of a broader exhibit on "STS in Africa."