ABSTRACT
The first part of the title of this chapter is taken from the recent book by Geoff Walsham, which engages in an extensive exploration of the theory and practice of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in both the North and South.1 Walsham, in a discussion with Simon Bell about the use of Western methodologies such as Logframe in Third World countries, makes the comment ‘My argument in a nutshell is the need to take culture seriously’ (Walsham, 2000: 227).2 This remark is a useful starting point: what does taking culture seriously imply? And it is an exploration (albeit preliminary at this stage) of some of the issues arising from this statement that forms the substance of this chapter. As an issue, it is interesting because it draws things together (Latour, 1990) and this chapter seeks to show that this exploration opens issues that are central to development and to the use of ICTs in general.
