Politicizing down to the slightest part

This article looks at the relationship between technical and activist issues in the low-tech movement, based on the case of the community development of the Piggott wind turbine. It describes the ways in which those who promote self-built small wind turbines are led to mobilize tools that are far removed from their ideals, and to explore and manage the tensions that are generated. The survey of these communities highlights three stages in the making of this technology, guided by a singular relationship with material that I propose to call ‘politicizing down to the slightest part’. Acknowledging the political dimension of technological choices, the members of these communities problematize their entire material environment and its ramifications in a spectacular way. They do not, however, sink into immobilizing purism, and the successful distribution of this home-made turbine shows how their idealism can be combined with practical effectiveness.