SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY IN
POLITICS AND SOCIETY
SPECIALIZATION IN STS
SPRING 2015: KRISTIN.ASDAL@TIK.UIO.NO
THREE TEMATIC THEMES
• 1. The Climate Society: Knowledge, Politics and
Practices of Transformation
• 2. The Good Economy: Values and Controversies in
politics of the environment, politics of care and the
life sciences
• 3. Social Media, Digital STS, Market Research and
The Public
1. THE CLIMATE SOCIETY: KNOWLEDGE, POLITICS
AND PRACTICES OF TRANSFORMATION
• The public debate about the climate issue has changed character: The discussion
now is not so much about if there is a human made climate problem. The
discussion is more about how to enable the transformation to a climate friendly
society. Science, the social sciences included, is expected to play a key role in this
transformation process. In order to manage this transformation well, it is crucial
that we understand the role of science and technology in society. But what kind of
role does knowledge play? How does science take part in politics and bureaucratic
practices? What happens when science become part of political practices? How is
knowledge taken into account? What happens when different versions of expertise
and knowledge encounter one another? What are the relations between science
and the technologies and practices of politics and administration?
• Empirically this thematic theme will explore efforts at enabling a climate friendly
society at key sites in society. Theoretically It will use the climate issue as a key
case for exploring the role of science and technology in society.
2. THE GOOD ECONOMY:
VALUES AND CONTROVERSIES IN THE BIOECONOMY,
POLITICS OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND MEDICINE
• The European economy is undergoing an i important experiment: A series of strategies, plans,
and efforts are being put forward in order to realize a Bioeconomy; this is an economy that
seeks to produce value from life and the living in new and innovative ways. The Bioeconomy
is closely integrated with the vision that this economy also will have other virtues: That it will
solve environmental problems, produce welfare, be responsible, and take care so that the
European economy acts within limits. This integrated complex is what this thematic theme
names “the good economy”.
• This thematic theme will explore key aspects of the bioeconomy and its problems and
challenges. But the notion “the good economy” will also be employed as an analytical
resource more broadly: How to realize an economy that does not only produce economic
growth but which is environmental friendly, provides care and good health, for humans as
well as non-humans? How to realize such an integrated complex, a “good” economy” – in
practice? What are the relations between the economy, politics of health and care, and the
life sciences? What are the tools, devices or technologies of politics that are involved and
take part in such efforts?
• The notion “the good economy” does not imply that the economy is good. It points to that
values and practices of valuations must be included in studies of the economy. The aim is to
explore how different visions and versions of “the good” interact, produce tensions and
sometimes conflicts. Empirically the theme will address key sites and issues relevant to the
good economy, for instance animal welfare, the aquaculture industry, elderly and end of life
care - in everyday practices, policy visions and innovation strategies. Theoretically it will
address key theoretical resources in STS such as care studies, valuation studies, and studies of
the bioeconomy.
SOCIAL MEDIA, DIGITAL STS, MARKET
RESEARCH AND THE PUBLIC
• New social media and «the digital» have become core to everyday
interactions, for the shaping of individual identities and for the making of new
forms of the social and the public. But they are also increasingly becoming
core sites for tracking behavior, for gathering data and for the making of
markets.
• Which versions of the ‘the social’ and ‘the public’ are enacted by way of new
social media and ‘the digital’? How can we understand new social media
compared to other versions of publics and the social? How do publics and
public opinion take part in shaping social and political issues? How are
participation co-produced with market devices, objects and technological
devices?
• Science and Technology Studies (STS) has always been concerned with how
science and technology take part in producing the social. The objective of
this theme is to explore this topic further in relation to the digital and new
social media. This theme will also explore how technologies take part in
producing both issues and new publics. STS research will be drawn together
with media studies and market research.
TIK PROJECTS
TO WHICH THE THEMES ARE ATTACHED
• IPCC Assessment Reports 5 in Europe, with Cicero,
Center for International Climate and Environmental
Research
• The Good Economy: Biocapitalization and the little
tools of valuation
• The Aquagenome project
http://www.aquagenome.uio.no/
• When authorities meet, with (among others) John
Law and Ingunn Moser
• Care at a distance, with Diakonhjemmet
• The Oslo-Berkeley initiative on valuation studies.