Paper short abstract:

We describe the emergence of the fablabs in France. They appear as third places where collaborative forms are tested at the interface between the academic world and advocacy movements. Brokering and intermediary agents seem essential to both their establishment and their longevity as third places.

Paper long abstract:

In this paper we posit that fablabs and makerspaces are part of a dynamic of institutionalization of collaborative practices stemming from hacking. Our survey on French fablabs describes the socio-materiality of digital technology and how it interrelates with issues of power, autonomy and transparency in organizations. Our inquiry focuses on the processes of institutionalization that have accompanied the creation and development of these places during the emergence of the movement. To that end, we mobilize the concept of brokering, which enables us to describe clearly the interactions between the actors of fablabs, with particular attention paid to the relations between users and creators/founders. The creators make the fablabs compatible with the material and social requirements of their reception and functioning. We study their relationship with the practices of users who are inclined to explore the potential of the place with regard to various objectives and sociabilities.

We thus highlight the predominant role of intermediaries, both in the organization of activities and in the institutionalization of fablabs as third places. We conclude that brokering could contribute to the promise of generalization of collaborative practices.

Our inquiry focuses on the processes of institutionalization that have accompanied the creation and development of these places during the emergence of the movement. To that end, we mobilize the concept of brokering, which enables us to describe clearly the interactions between the actors of fablabs, with particular attention paid to the relations between users and creators/founders.