Panel Session 55. National Identities and Nationalism in Transnational Science and Technology during the 20th century

Although the emerging post Cold War globalization process seemed to undermine the legitimacy of national categories, nationalisms and national identities are far from being surpassed. This is part of a broader public concern regarding the interactions between national identities, cultures, and transnational relations in a new global order. Similarly, History of Science, STS, and Policy Studies have expanded new questions about the means and mechanisms that produce, transfer, and transform expert knowledge within communities and political systems at different scales.

Even when the history of science and technology, and national identities studies have increased their production and scope, there are still several questions on the connections and tensions between these disciplines. On the one hand, nations were considered projects in which societies articulated their vision of future. On the other, national identities were the places where individuals identified themselves collectively, and developed a sense of belonging. During the 20th century, within these national projects, science and technology helped nations come closer to that imagined future, and at the same time, nations linked themselves with processes of international and transnational scientific circulation.

Historiography has not traditionally addressed the links between science and technology, and nation and nationalism, STS have much to say regarding how development in science and technology has questioned, enhanced, promoted or criticized the persistence of national identities within transnational relations.

This panel examines theoretical, methodological, and epistemological problems combining History and STS with the dynamic notion of nations and national identities, to discuss how transnational science and technology have been entangled within processes of nation building during the 20th century.

Abstracts must be submitted no later than February 1, 2018.
Further information can be found at https://4s2018sydney.org.
For submissions: https://4s2018sydney.org/call-for-papers-open-panels/, Panel #55. You may email Barbara Silva (bsilvaa@uc.cl), organizer of this panel session, with questions. Please note that The Society for Social Studies of Science has final say over acceptances and panel organization. 

Contact Info: 
Barbara Silva, Universidad Católica de Chile 
Contact Email: bsilvaa@uc.cl