Machine Not Homed: Growth and Perspectives on Digital Fabrication Made in Latin America

In this extensive case study, researcher and professor Pablo C. Herrera presents a comprehensive overview of digital fabrication’s development in Latin America. Though much discourse in this field has historically been centered in the United States and Europe, this chapter sheds light on perspectives and initiatives in the Global South. Herrera reveals how academic migration, government initiatives, and global development contributed to the landscape of digital fabrication in Latin America. This research seeks to expand our understanding of how knowledge is transmitted around the world and the contextual hurdles that marginalized regions encounter as new technologies are implemented. The history of digital fabrication in Latin America, Herrera notes, goes beyond academic knowledge being exported to the Global South. It grew out of a confluence of factors including the global financial crisis and the rise of online media.