A Moral Technology: Electrification as Political Ritual in New Delhi

In this review of A Moral Technology readers interested in urban studies and the politics of infrastructure will find a thoughtful anthropological account that reframes electrification as ritual rather than merely a technical or economic process. Leo C. Coleman follows the grids, wires, and public utilities of New Delhi to show how electric light and infrastructure become moral and political symbols; the book is best for those seeking a nuanced, qualitative study rather than a how-to manual on engineering or policy prescriptions.

Key Features

• Anthropological lens: Coleman uses ethnographic evidence to reveal how electrification operates as a set of social practices and moral expectations in New Delhi.
• Focus on symbolism: The book explains how electric lights and infrastructure mark places of power and serve as visible political promises.
• Historical perspective: Coverage across the past century situates contemporary grids within colonial, national, and global contexts.
• Urban utility case study: Detailed attention to an urban public utility shows how material networks become objects of moral concern for citizens and officials.
• Theoretical contribution: Recasts electrification as ritual action, offering a conceptual shift for scholars of technology and society.

Who It's For

This book is ideal for scholars and students of anthropology, urban studies, science and technology studies, and political sociology who want a deeply contextualized study of infrastructure in a major South Asian city. It will also appeal to practitioners and policy researchers interested in the social meanings that surround service delivery and public utilities.

Readers seeking technical engineering manuals, practical guides to grid construction, or quantitative economic analysis should look elsewhere; this is a qualitative, interpretive work focused on meaning, ritual, and political communication rather than specifications or implementation details.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Provides a clear, original framework by treating electrification as a moral and ritual practice.
• Grounded in urban ethnography, offering concrete observations from New Delhi's public utility networks.
• Connects historical, national, and global dimensions to local experiences of electric light and infrastructure.

Cons

• Limited appeal for readers seeking technical or policy-oriented solutions, since the emphasis is interpretive rather than prescriptive.

Specifications

Title	A Moral Technology: Electrification as Political Ritual in New Delhi
Author	Leo C. Coleman
Subject	Anthropology of technology and urban electrification
Geographic focus	New Delhi, India
Approach	Ethnographic and historical analysis
Primary theme	Electrification as moral and political ritual

Our Verdict

A Moral Technology is a valuable read for those who want a conceptual rethinking of infrastructure and public utilities; Coleman convincingly shows how electric grids are lived, judged, and performed in urban life. Its interpretive depth makes it good value for scholars and students who care about meaning and politics more than technical design.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this a technical manual on electrical engineering?
No. The book is an anthropological study focused on social meaning and political ritual, not engineering specifications.

Does it cover historical context?
Yes. Coleman situates electrification in colonial, national, and global histories across the past century.

Who will benefit most from reading this book?
Researchers and students of anthropology, urban studies, and science and technology studies will gain the most from its arguments about infrastructure and moral concern.