Speaker
Description
In 2000, in response to the expanding discourse on climate change, Paul J. Crutzen and Eugene F. Stoermer developed the concept of the Anthropocene as signifying a shift from the geographical epoch of the Holocene. Their conceptualisation places the beginning of the new epoch in the late 18th century, when human actions began fundamentally reshaping Earth’s systems. Steffen, Crutzen and McNeill 2007 date a Stage 2 of the Anthropocene from 1945, a period marked by significant growth in the world’s population, oil consumption, mobility and resource utilisation and thus termed “the Great Acceleration”.
Whereas most literature on the Great Acceleration emphasises the environmental impacts (Bergquist 2019), this article delves into the societal structures and occupational administrations facilitating the Great Acceleration. It examines the evolving complexity of today’s regulated societies by viewing standards as one of the many turning points. The number of different standards in place today indicates the acceleration of digital bureaucracy. Based on a detailed case study of standards issued by the Danish Road Standard organisation, the article focuses on the transformation of which, when closely tracked, reveals key developments and patterns indicating broader societal trends.
In 1943, administrators foresaw 100 km/h speeds, and, by early 2024, cars had increased from 100,000 to 2 million and a standard speed limit up to 130 km/h. Meanwhile, whereas the accompanying standardisation began with a 72-page standard in 1943, 1581 standards have been issued and improved in the past two decades, for a current database with 800 standards spanning 35,000 pages.
The analysis focuses on the last five decades, utilizing archives and interviews with key individuals shaping road regulations. The aim is to unravel the social dynamics within daily operations and explore the perpetual evolution of the concept. The study provides insights into technological advancements and cultural shifts in the knowledge organisation.
