Open access eBooks and translations on global smartphone use (including in Uganda and Cameroon)

We would like to draw your attention to the publication and Arabic, French and Portuguese translations of ‘The Global Smartphone: Beyond a youth technology’, an open access eBook which presents a series of original perspectives deriving from the Anthropology of Smartphones and Smart Ageing (ASSA) project. A multisited research project at UCL Anthropology with two fieldsites in Yaoundé, Cameroon and Kampala, Uganda.

The book is based on simultaneous 16-months of research in 11 countries around the world. The research highlights the impact of the smartphone on the experience of mid-life (people who do not consider themselves either young or elderly) around the world and considers the implications of the use of smartphones in the field of mHealth.

They are available as a free download from UCL Press. We believe it is very important, where we can, to ensure the availability of our research findings to people whose first language is not English and we would be grateful if you can spread news of these publications to any networks you are aware of. For example, those who might find this useful for teaching purposes.

Two key ethnographies in the book were conducted in Yaoundé, Cameroon and Kampala, Uganda. Patrick Awondo, a Cameroonian anthropologist, conducted his research in a middle-class district within Yaoundé. Most of the people in this area are senior civil servants working in central administration or in other public affairs such as education and culture. Many residents of the district are also involved in private businesses or work for private companies. They come from all over the country and include some expatriates. Charlotte Hawkins, a British anthropologist, carried out her research primarily in Kampala. To understand the use of smartphones specifically, Charlotte drew on methods such as surveys, as well as open-ended interviews and participation in community activities such as women’s and savings groups.

English: The Global Smartphone: Beyond a youth technology
Arabic: الهاتف الذكي العالمي: ما وراء تكنولوجيا الشباب
French: Le Smartphone Global: Au-delà d’une culture jeune
Portuguese: O Smartphone Global: Uma tecnologia para além dos jovens
For more translations and publications please visit here: https://www.uclpress.co.uk/collections/series-ageing-with-smartphones

Best wishes,
Alex Clegg