Radhika, I'm sorry I didn't see this earlier.
Can anyone share with me how many kinds of Internet Histories have been written, told, narrated - sources, citations etc?
thanks, r ___________ Radhika Gajjala
Are you familiar with Netizens: On the History of Usenet and the Internet by Michael Hauben and Ronda Hauben IEEE Computer Society Press, 1997? It was one of the earliest efforts to document the origins of the developments which led to the Internet. It takes a social prespective that is unusal for the US. But European researchers and also historiograghers like John Guice and Roy Rosenweig (see below) have found it valuable. It has been online since Jan 1994 at http://www.columbia.edu/~rh120/ In the December 1998 issue of the _American Historical Review_ Rosenzweig Observed that currently there is no mention of the Internet and little mention of computers in history books. His essay on "Writing Internet History" suggests that this will and should change. In his review essay Rosenzweig looks at 4 books about the history and development of the Internet and discusses them and the significance they have to developing a historiography of the Internet. The books he includes are "Where Wizards Stay Up Late", "Transforming Computer Technology: Information Processing for the Pentagon, 1962-1986", "The Closed World: Computers and the Politics of Discourse in Cold War America", and "Netizens: On the History and Impact of Usenet and the Internet". (He also mentions a few other books in his comments or notes.) The review essay looks at the social context of the Internet and of Usenet and recognizes that this is a vital aspect to consider. He says about "Netizens", it offers an interpretive perspective that should be central to any future Net history. It argues "...that the Internet has created a new kind of citizen, the 'netizens,' who they define as 'people who decide to devote time and effort into making the Net, this new part of the world, a better place -- a regenerative and vibrant community and resource.' The Haubens see the democratic nature of the network growing out of its grass-roots source in the people who created Usenet." I will look for the reference to John Guice's essay. Take care. Jay