The Engineer as a Socio-technical Agent : Perspectives Between Industrial Heritage and Humanist Narratives

Sammanfattning

Historically, engineering has been perceived as a neutral and purely technical discipline. On the contrary, engineering has always possessed social and communicative features, which are rising in importance due to paradigm shifts like the energy transition. This Degree Project explores this overlooked dimension of engineering. First, it investigates how this identity is actively pursued and exposed through a case study of Fondazione MAIRE – ETS. Then, it analyses how applying this humanistic side of engineering to industrial heritage generates social and cultural meaning. To achieve this, the DP utilizes an interpretivist approach based on narrative analysis and visual methodologies, and it examines corporate reports, employee folklore, public exhibitions, and digital archival materials.The research demonstrates that the identity of professional engineers is actively negotiated on levels that go beyond technical execution. In particular, it is found that corporate heritage communication, internal storytelling and participatory activities are actively shaping the socio-technical identity of the profession. Furthermore, when both engineering and humanist skills are applied to archival resources, those can be transformed into cultural tools for identity building and collective memory.Ultimately, this study aims to demonstrate that recognizing the communicative dimension of engineering is crucial for defining the profession’s identity and role.