| Description |
h4ck3r5 (in leet speak) comes in many flavors: phreakers, crackers, black hats, white hats, open source wizards, corporate hackers, cypherpunks, script kiddies, hacktivists, advanced persistent threats, overclockers and a few more. At different times, hackers have either instilled fear and hostility or admiration and respect, and as such they have either been considered deviant and childish or wise and prescient, respectively. Given the different ways hackers are defined, this seminar aims to delve into the many activities hacking encompasses, in order to explore how hackers approach and interact with digital technology. From an anthropological perspective, we will debate whether or not hacking is a culture in and of itself and to what extent hackers have influenced the larger social context in which they are embedded. We will also explore how hackers as malevolent actors have reshaped crime and warfare. This exploration will set in motion multiple reflections on the vulnerabilities inherent to our modern and increasingly digitized societies. Each participant will develop an original research agenda on hacking and will contribute with a blog article to a growing archive of curious feats and events related to digital technologies hosted at the University of Fribourg. |