ABSTRACT The accompanying image is that of the Hindu god, Vishwakarma. Images like this are common in eastern South Asia. A different image of the same deity is popular in northern and western South Asia, while yet another image dominates in the south. Factories, offices and workshops frequently display these images and offer ritual prayers to them. On a given day in the year, artisans and workmen worship their tools directly and offer a feast to Vishwakarma. In recent years cars and computers have also been increasingly identified with Vishwakarma. Why have such practices been almost entirely ignored by historians of technology? What does the existence of such practices mean for the much-touted ‘materialist turn’ in histories of science and technology? How should we deal with the ‘materiality’ of the technological objects that circulate around Vishwakarma?

中文翻译：

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隐匿的物质

摘要 随附的图像是印度教神 Vishwakarma 的图像。这样的图像在南亚东部很常见。在南亚北部和西部，同一神的不同形象很受欢迎，而另一个形象在南方占主导地位。工厂、办公室和车间经常展示这些图像，并为他们提供仪式祈祷。在一年中的某一天，工匠和工人直接崇拜他们的工具，并为 Vishwakarma 提供盛宴。近年来，汽车和计算机也越来越多地被认定为 Vishwakarma。为什么技术史学家几乎完全忽略了这种做法？这些实践的存在对于科技史上备受吹捧的“唯物主义转向”意味着什么？我们应该如何处理在 Vishwakarma 周围流通的技术对象的“物质性”？