SpeciALIzATION - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

SpeciALIzATION IN STS Spring 2015: Kristin.Asdal@tik.uio.No

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY IN POLITICS AND SOCIETYSlide2

Three TEMATIC THEMES1. The Climate Society: Knowledge,

P

olitics and

P

ractices

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 Slide3

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

.

Slide4

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

.

 Slide5

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

. Slide6

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.Slide7

Research InterestS Andapproaches

Key

interest

: How is it

that

science

, different forms

of

knowledge

and

expertise

,

take

part in

politics

and

administration

?

What

role

does

knowledge

play in

politics

?

What

kind

of

knowledge

is

taken

into

account

? With

which

consequences

?

Ongoing

projects

:

How

economists

value

the

environment

The

good

economy

When

authorities

meet

Document-workSlide8

How economists value (the

environment

)

Asdal 1998: Knappe ressurser. Økonomenes grep om miljøfeltet.

Example

of

study

of

how

expertise

,

economic

expertise

, matter to

politics

and

administration

. The book; a

study

of

the

role

of

the

economist

profession

and

the

Ministry

of

Finance in

encounters

with

the

Ministry

of

the

Environment.

Now

:

taken

this

study

up

again

, -

the

title

of

the

extended

project

: How

economists

value

the

environment

.

For

instance

:

«Grønn skattekommisjon».

What

does

it

take

for

taxes

to be ‘green’? How

does

taxes

value

the

enviroment

? With

which

means

? How

does

economists

value

compared

to

other

experts

and

social

groups

? https

://www.regjeringen.no/nb/aktuelt/Gronn-skattekommisjon-utnevnt/id765895/ Slide9

THE GOOD ECONOMY: VaLUES and CONTROVERSIES IN THE BIOECONOMY, POLITICS OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND Health

The European economy is undergoing an

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

will

solve environmental problems, produce welfare, be responsible, and take care so that the European economy acts within limits. This integrated complex is what

is named “

the good economy”.

This

project explores

key aspects of the

bioeconomy

and its problems and challenges. But the notion “the good economy”

is also 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?

Where and who are the actors who seek to realize the good economy? How is this sought to be realized in politics and administration and by innovation strategies? 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

ICTs,

animal

welfare, the aquaculture industry, elderly and end of life care - in everyday practices, policy visions and innovation strategies

. Slide10

When Authorities MeetPolitics

in Action: The

study

of

political

authority

as it

unfolds

in

practice

in

parliament

. E.g. The

climate-agreement

,

public

hearings

…

The Nature

of

Parliament: How

parliament

deals

with

nature-

issues

, e.g.

the

whaling-controversy

.

Related

to

this

;

the

climate-project

(Göran and Erlend) –

how

climate

science

is

taken

into

account

in

bureaucratic

and

political

practice

. Slide11

MethodInterested in method:

How

do

we

study

?

Particularly

interested

in

the

study

of

documents

.

What

is it

that

political

docouments

, or

expert

report do? How

can

we

understand, for

instance

expertise

, in

better

ways

if

we

study

the

report-

work

experts

partake

in?

Advantage

with

the

study

of

documents

as a

method

:

often

easily

accessible

,

rich

in

meaning

, a lot is

invested

in

them

, live

sometimes

very

interesting

lives (

that

is,

we

can

follow

them

!)

Sometimes

important

documents

can

change

issues

(

the

transformative

capacity

of

documents

) Slide12

INTERESTED IN THE THEORY OF SCIENCE? The seminar in science

studies

can

be a

source

of

stipend for students

who

will

write

their

thesis

on

science

/

the

theory

of

science

.

Does

not have to be done

theoretically

,

also

how

science

are

employed

in

practice

.

Ask Kristin or Göran

if

you

are

interested

and

want

more

information

.Slide13

The GOOd economy