School of Social and Political Science

Content

Professor Jane Calvert, School of Social and Political Science, gives her inaugural lecture

I have always been fascinated by the natural sciences and drawn to the critical insights of the social sciences and humanities. I have found my ideal academic home in Science and Technology Studies (STS), a field that does not always fit easily with established disciplines.

In its early days, the scientific laboratory was the preferred field site for STS research. But things have changed. In my social scientific investigation of synthetic biology over the last 15 years I have spent time in large anonymous conference rooms, classrooms in need of a coat of paint, esoteric studios for artistic research, glass-walled government meeting rooms, artisan coffee houses, and high-ceilinged libraries. This has led me to the question: where does STS belong?

In this talk, I journey through eight different rooms, exploring the possibilities and limitations of each, and the opportunities they provide for observation, intervention, and collaboration with scientists and engineers. I explore what, if anything, unites STS research in different places, and if there is or should be a normative orientation underlying this work. I end by asking whether there is a place for STS, whether STS has to create new spaces, or whether it is fated to be forever itinerant.

Introduced and hosted by Professor John Devaney. With huge thanks to Yuning Chen for filming, editing and captioning the video. 

Recorded on campus on 29 March 2023.