2011 Annual Meeting
November 2-5, 2011
Cleveland City Center Hotel (formerly Crowne Plaza Hotel)
View photos from the 4S Meeting in Cleveland.
Co-located with the History of Science Society and the Society for the History of Technology.
Conference Highlights
The conference will begin on Wednesday evening with the Opening Plenary (Speakers: Geoffrey Bowker, Lawrence Busch, Adele Clarke and Ellen Balka) dedicated to the Intellectual Legacy of the Susan Leigh Star (former 4S President, 2006−2007), followed by a reception. All 4S participants are encouraged to attend, to mingle and to converse.
Thursday evening will include a joint 4S, HSS, SHOT plenary (Speakers: Spencer Weart, Gabrielle Hecht and Hugh Gusterson) on Dealing with Disasters. It will be followed by a joint reception at the Great Lakes Science Center. Enjoy this exciting venue along with hearty appetizers and a cash bar for only $10. Bus transportation will be provided.
Friday evening will include the 4S Presidential Plenary (Speakers: Evelyn Fox Keller and Steven Shapin), followed by a reception and the Annual Awards Banquet. Come Dressed as Your Favorite R&R Star!
Paper sessions will officially begin on Thursday morning and end on Saturday evening.
Program
Download the official print program (4MB PDF) or the program with abstracts. (2 MB)
Search the online program here. Click through to an individual session and you can add it to your personal schedule. (You must log in first to save your schedule.)
NOTE TO PRESENTERS: 4S provides *only* a screen and projector in each room. Rooms are not equipped with laptops (which must be provided by the presenters or, more typically, by collective agreement--one laptop for the whole session).
Conference Location & Lodging
Cleveland City Center Hotel (formerly Crowne Plaza Hotel)
777 St. Clair Avenue NE, Cleveland, OH 44114
Hotel Front Desk: 1-216-771-7600 | Hotel Fax: 1-216-566-0736
To register for a room, call Toll Free: 1-877-2CROWNE (1-877- 227-6963) or 1-877-208-2519. You must mention that you are with the Society for Social Studies of Science in order to receive the discounted room rate of $130 per night. Alternatively, you may register online entering group code "SSS".
The hotel is located in downtown Cleveland, adjacent to the Convention Center and overlooking Lake Erie. Meeting hotels for History of Science Society and the Society for the History of Technology are close by. It is within blocks of numerous attractions including the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame; Great Lakes Science Center; Cleveland Metroparks Zoo; Time Warner Cable Amphitheater at Tower City; Cleveland Browns Stadium; Progressive Field; and Q-Quicken Loans Arena
Travel to Cleveland
By Air
- You can fly to the Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE), Cleveland’s main airport. Air Fare Discount on Continental: Save 2-10% on Continental Airlines travel to Cleveland in November. Save an additional 3% discount for booking at http://www.continental.com Ente.r code ZK9Y803338. (May need to be broken down for travel agents as such: Agreement Code: 803338 Z Code: ZK9Y)
- Crowne Plaza Hotel is approx. 12 miles from the CLE airport. You can take a taxi which will take approx. 20 minutes. Or you can call Independent Shuttle Service at 1-216-3248999 to book the shuttle for approx. $14 one way per person. Or you can take the Cleveland Regional Transit Authority’s (RTA) train which will cost approx. $2.25. The RTA Red Line runs from inside the airport to the heart of downtown in roughly 30 minutes. Get off at Tower City-Public Square. Head northeast toward Ontario Street (approx. 240 ft). Turn left at Ontario Street (approx. 450 ft). Turn right at St. Clair Avenue (approx. 0.2 mi).
By Train
- You can take Amtrak train to the Cleveland Lakefront Station at 200 Memorial Shoreway, Cleveland, OH 44114.
- For reservations, call 1-800-8727245 or visit http://www.amtrak.com
- Crowne Plaza Hotel is approx. 0.5 miles from the Amtrak train station.
- You can take a taxi or walk to Crowne Plaza Hotel. Head northeast on Erieside Avenue (approx. 0.2 mi). Turn right at East 9th Street (approx. 0.4 mi). Turn right at St. Clair Avenue (approx. 250 ft).
By Bus
- You can take Greyhound Bus to Cleveland Greyhound Station at 1465 Chester Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44114. Telephone: 1-216-7812464.
- For reservations, call 1-800-2312222 or visit www.greyhound.com.
- Crowne Plaza Hotel is approx. 0.5 miles from the Greyhound bus station. You can take a taxi or walk to Crowne Plaza Hotel. Head west on Chester Avenue (approx. 360 ft). Turn right at East 13th Street (approx. 0.2 mi). Turn left at St. Clair Avenue (approx. 0.3 mi).
By Car
- Customize direction using the MapQuest / Google map / Yahoo map.
- If driving from South: Take I-71 North to East 9th Street exit. Go north on East 9th Street. Turn left onto St. Clair Avenue. The hotel is on the right.
- If driving from North: Take I-71 South to East 9th Street exit. Go south on East 9th Street. Turn right onto St. Clair Avenue. The hotel is on the right.
- If driving from East: Take I-90 West to state RT 2 West. Exit onto East 9th Street. Go south on East 9th Street. Turn right onto St. Clair Avenue. The hotel is on the right.
- If driving from West: Take I-90 East to the East 9th Street exit. Go north on East 9th Street. Turn left onto St. Clair Avenue. The hotel is on the right.
- Parking at Crowne Plaza Hotel: Daily parking 0-4 hours $6.00; Daily parking 4-8 hours $1.00; Daily parking 8-24 hours $18.00; Valet Parking $20.00
Visiting Cleveland
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is the ultimate place to explore the spirit of rock and roll and how it continues to shape our lives. Show your 4S conference badge for a $5 discount. Exhibits take you through the evolution and history of rock and roll music, from one-hit wonders to legendary Inductees, from the roots of rock to the music scenes in cities like Memphis, New York, Detroit, San Francisco, Seattle, Los Angeles and London. Exhibits explore the impact of the iconic rock stars, as well as the Inductees of tomorrow. 2011 Special Exhibit: Women Who Rock: Vision, Passion, Power. Saturday, 5 November there will be a Tribute Concert for Aretha Franklin at the State Theater – she will be present to receive an award but is not apparently performing.
We are in Cleveland during Restaurant Week. Your meeting program has a comprehensive restaurant guide. Download this walking tour guide of downtown Cleveland.
The Society for the History of Technology has kindly made a number of tours available for 4S members. This year's tours include the ArcelorMittal Steel Mill, a bus tour of industrial Cleveland, a tour of Cleveland bridges, the Great Lakes Brewing Company, an architectural tour of downtown Cleveland, and a visit to the Dittrick Medical Museum. To sign up for a SHOT tour, please visit http://www.historyoftechnology.org/cleveland/cleveland_tours.html. To participate in these tours, you do NOT need to register with SHOT. Once you have selected which tour you wish to take, please fill out a SHOT registration form, pay the tour fee, and mail or fax it back to us. Our fax number is 434.975.2190. For more information, contact .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Meeting Registration
Registration is now open on the 4S Members Site. Register early and save. Non-members may join 4S while registering and save money. Members can renew while registering and avoid a separate transaction later.
Below are the registration fees. Early registration fees expire on August 1. On November 2, the late fee goes into effect and registration is on-site only.
| Students and non-OECD | Professional | ||
| Member | Early | 70 | 120 |
| Regular | 100 | 180 | |
| Late | 130 | 240 | |
| Non-member | Early | 110 | 190 |
| Regular | 140 | 250 | |
| Late | 170 | 310 |
Exhibitors
The 4S is the oldest and largest scholarly association devoted to studying science, technology and society. The annual meeting attracts over 1,000 scholars. Many attendees look forward to the book exhibit for finding new books for class, for their research, and for staying current in the field. Visit the Exhibitors page for information on how to participate. http://www.4sonline.org/meeting/exhibitors
Mentorship Program
The Mentorship Program has become a popular part of the 4S conference. The goal of the program is to facilitate mentoring of individuals who are new to the conference and/or to 4S. A mentoring relationship assumes a minimum of one conversation at the 4S conference. It is hoped that mentoring relationships will also continue with at least two follow-up phone calls or emails during the following 12 months. We will match new scholars with more experienced scholars and make an effort to assign mentors outside of one's university. We hope that the mentoring project will allow new scholars to feel more at home in the STS community.
Visit the Mentorship Program registration page for more information and to sign up: http://www.4sonline.org/meeting/mentorship_program
Travel Support for Students
Please consult the travel grants page for more information.
http://www.4sonline.org/meeting/travel_grants
Contact Info
For general meeting information and any questions about the program, contact the 4S Program Chair, Roli Varma, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque [Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)] | Telephone: 1-505-277-7756].
For technical assistance with the submission or registration process, contact .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Important Dates
- March 15, 2011: Deadline for submissions of individual papers and session proposals.
- May 15, 2011: Acceptance notification.
- May 15 – July 31, 2011: Early registration.
- June 30, 2011: Preliminary program posted.
- September 15, 2011: Last day to book a room at the Crowne Plaza Hotel Cleveland City Centre to get the reduced rate. We recommend early booking since room availability is based on a first-come, first-served basis.
- September 15, 2011: All presenters must register to be included in the final program. For papers with more than one author, one presenter must register to be included in the final program.
- October 1, 2011: Final program posted.
* * * * * * * * *
Call for Papers
April 1, 2011: Deadline for Submissions of Individual Papers and Session Proposals
The 2011 4S conference will be held in Cleveland, Ohio. There is no predetermined theme for the 4S conference. Individual paper abstracts and proposals for sessions should emphasize how they will make original and timely contributions to any theme relevant to science and technology studies (STS). The 4S conference welcomes papers, session proposals, and events that are innovative in their delivery, organization, range of topics, type of public, and which bring new resources to the STS community to explore these new relations and themes. Apart from traditional research papers, the 4S conference also welcomes proposals for sessions and papers using ‘new media’ or other forms of new presentation.
Given the growing size of the 4S conferences and the desire to be as inclusive as possible, the program chair will need to make full use of the available time slots. Therefore, individuals may be listed for a paper presentation and one other role (such as session chair or discussant but not a second paper) for a maximum of two appearances.
Paper abstracts should be up to 250 words. They should include the main arguments, methodology, and their contribution to the STS literature. The title of papers should be up to 10 words. Please list five key words to assist the program chair to group individual papers into a session. In addition, identify the most suitable categories for the paper (e.g. environment, information communication technologies, gender studies, science policy, etc.).
Session proposals should be up to 250 words. They should contain a summary and rationale for the session, as well as a brief discussion of its contribution to STS. Session proposals should be organized around one-and-half-hour time slots. A typical session will contain five papers or four papers with a discussant. A minimum of three complete paper abstracts are required in order to submit a session proposal. The program chair may assign additional papers to proposed sessions with three papers. Each paper abstract in the proposed session should be up to 250 words. The title of papers should be up to 10 words.
Since 2008, the 4S has run a ‘workshop’ format. This is an opportunity for informal presentations, with presenters and other attendees seated around tables. Session organizers should indicate if they would like to be part of a workshop table. Submissions for ‘workshop’ presentations are included under the one first-authored submission limit, stated earlier.
Submission Process
Submissions are now closed. Paper and session proposals are accepted through an online system. This is a separate database from the 4S membership/registration system. All presenters, including those included in session proposals, must have a user account with this system that includes name, affiliation, and contact information. Submitters can create user accounts on behalf of their co-authors and session presenters, if necessary. Anyone who has participated in a 4S meeting in the last three years should already have a user account.
Calls for Session Participants
4S supports session organizers seeking participants. However, it is not practical to run all such calls in Technoscience. 4S has created a special web page for calls for session participants. Here you can submit a call and browse for suitable sessions for your paper.
Mentorship Program
2010 Annual Meeting
Held jointly with Japanese Society for Science and Technology Studies
August 25 – 29, 2010
Venue: Komaba I Campus, University of Tokyo
3-8-1, Komaba, Meguro, Tokyo, 153-8902
Access map / Campus map / Meeting locations
View the photo gallery from the Tokyo meeting.
"STS in Global Contexts"
Abstract submission has closed.
The 2010 4S conference will be held with JSSTS (Japanese Society for Science and Technology Studies). This is the first 4S annual meeting in Asia. 4S members will have a chance to experience, interact with, and understand the cultural diversity of Asia. Furthermore, holding 4S in Asia opens the door to questions relating to universalities and cultural differences in STS concepts. This meeting will provide a good opportunity for reconsidering STS in global contexts as well as strengthening STS network worldwide.
Download the list of participants (July 29).
Schedule of activities
25th (Wed) Registration, 4S Council Meeting, 4S Prize Committee, Welcome Reception
26th (Thu) 2 Sessions (a.m.) 3 Sessions (p.m.)
27th (Fri) 2 Sessions (a.m.) 1 Session (p.m.), Presidental Plenary, Reception (sponsored by Microsoft Research), 4S Banquet, Karaoke party
28th (Sat) 2 Sessions (a.m.) 3 Sessions (p.m.), JSSTS Banquet
29th (Sun) Japanese Sessions, JSSTS Council Meeting (Only Japanese sessions on Sunday)
Download a session schedule grid.
Program
Download the full program with abstracts (4MB PDF).
Find an interactive program on the abstract submission site. You can search or browse all authors, presentations, and sessions. You can also view sessions on a calendar grid. Log in and you can construct a personalized schedule.
Get to Know TokyoOne Noodle at a Time in Tokyo Japan National Tourism Organization |
Registration
Early member rates, in effect until June 1, are $200 for professionals and $100 for students. 4S and JSSTS members can log in and will be offered the member discount.
Not a member? Add a membership to your shopping cart and the discount will be calculated at Check Out.
Registration rates in US Dollars:
| Student | Professional | ||
| Member | Early | 100 | 200 |
| Regular | 150 | 300 | |
| Late | 200 | 400 | |
| Non-member | Early | 150 | 275 |
| Regular | 200 | 375 | |
| Late | 250 | 450 |
Contact info
For information about the program or Tokyo logistics, contact the , Minako Kusafuka.
If you have any questions or problems about registration, please contact: (Asia) or (US, et al).
Mentorship Program
The Mentorship Program has become a popular part of the Annual Meeting. The goal of the project is to facilitate mentoring of individuals who are new to the conference and/or to the Society. A mentoring relationship assumes a minimum of one conversation at the Annual Meeting. We hope that mentoring relationships will also continue with at least two follow-up phone calls or emails during the following 12 months. Scholars willing to be mentors or who desire a mentor can fill out the interest form at the Mentorship Program Registration page.
Karaoke Party after the 4S Banquet
The Friday evening banquet ends promptly at 20:30. Join fellow 4S pop stars for authentic Japanese karaoke afterwards at Anthem’s Secret Lounge in Shibuya. 20:45~23:30. Directions here.
Students
See the Travel Grant info page and 6S Activities at the Tokyo Meeting.
Related Events
Science in Society: A Challenge in Japan
Visa Information
We regret that the deadline for processing visa requests has passed.
Past Meetings
Co-sponsored meetingAt the World Summit on the Information Society in Tunis: Past Present & Future of Research 4S HistoryPrograms from first two meetings! First meeting, November 1976, Second Meeting, October 1977, |
2008 - Rotterdam, The Netherlands
2003 - Atlanta, Georgia--Program (1.2 MB PDF)
2002 - Milwaukee, Wisconsin
2001 - Cambridge, Massachusetts
2000 - Vienna, Austria
1999 - San Diego, California
1998 - Halifax, Nova Scotia
1997 - Tucson, Arizona
1996 - Bielefeld, Germany
1995 - Charlottesville, Virginia
1994 - New Orleans, Louisiana
1993 - West Lafayette, Indiana (1.4mb PDF)
1992 - Gothenburg, Sweden
1991 - Cambridge, Massachusetts
1990 - Minneapolis, Minnesota
1989 - Irvine, California
1988 - Amsterdam, Netherlands
1987 - Worcester, Massachusetts
1986 - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
1985 - Troy, New York
1984 - Ghent, Belgium
1983 - Blacksburg, Virginia (485kb PDF)
1982 - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
1981 - Atlanta, Georgia
1980 - Toronto, Ontario, Canada
1979 - Washington, D.C.
1978 - Bloomington, Indiana
1977 - Boston, Massachusetts
1976 - Ithaca, New York
2004 Annual Meeting
The post-conference website is now on line: http://www.csi.ensmp.fr/csi/4S/index.php
You will find there:
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some statistics
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paper abstracts and about 130 full papers: don't hesitate to send Frederic Vergnaud your paper if you wish it to be put on line.
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pictures taken mostly by Catherine Lucas...
You can also download:
- the list of attendees
- the book of abstracts
Archived page follows:
25-28 August, 2004, Ecole des Mines
Make plans now! It is not too soon to submit a session, a paper, or an
illustrated paper. You can also register for the conference and make your
hotel reservation.
Sponsored by Intel
Key dates to remember:
| February 15 th | Deadline for session submission | |
| March 15 th | Deadline for paper or illustrated paper submissions
|
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| April 15 th | End of selection process by the program committee | |
| May 1 st | End of early registration fee rate | |
| May 15 th | End of registration for participants submitting a paper or a session. We will assume that failure to do so means you have withdrawn your paper or your session submission. In case your submission would be rejected by the scientific committee and if you don't want to attend the meeting, your registration fees will be reimbursed. If you have any problem with paying by the date indicated please let us know and we will agree on a solution. | |
| August 25 th to 28 th | 4S/EASST Conference |
For scientific information, you must contact Madeleine Akrich or Christelle Gramaglia.
For information on the website, registration, and reservation, please contact Chantal Iannarelli.
Best wishes.
4S-EASST program committee:
Madeleine Akrich and Christelle Gramaglia
Centre de Sociologie de l'Innovation
Ecole des Mines de Paris
60 bd Saint Michel, 75006 Paris, France
2005 Annual Meeting
October 20-22, 2005
Hilton Pasadena
Pasadena, California
THE REPRESENTATION OF CONTROVERSIAL OBJECTS: NEW METHODS OF DISPLAYING THE UNRULY AND THE ANOMALOUS IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY STUDIES
The program committee invites contributions that explore unruly objects in science and technology -- including controversial, invisible, secret, or anomalous things. We are especially interested in showcasing new forms of representation and display, and welcome experimentation with theory, method, and conferencing modes.
For more detailed information, contact the Program Chair:
Marianne De Laet
Download program. (281kb PDF)
2006 Annual Meeting
November 1-5, 2006
The Empire Landmark
Vancouver, B.C, Canada
The 2006 4S conference will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the society. The meeting will be co-located with the History of Science Society and Philosophy of Science Association, which will be in a hotel a few blocks away. We will be exploring some new session formats this year, including new media presentations, “fire-side chats”, and junior-senior sessions. If you have ideas for these or other formats, please contact the Program Chair: Wenda Bauchspies.
Program
Updated Oct. 27. Download the full conference program, with abstracts (2.6mb PDF) or without (960kb PDF).
The program will begin Wednesday evening with two events. First will be the Fireside Chat: "1976 and all that…", followed by a Mingling Event for juniors, seniors and anyone involved in the mentor program. All scholars are encouraged to attend, to mingle and to converse.
The sessions will officially begin on Thursday at 8:30 am and end Sunday at noon. Thursday evening there will be a joint reception with HSS and PSA. Friday night will be the annual awards banquet. Saturday night will be the President's Plenary followed by a reception.
The joint reception between HSS/PSA and 4S will take place at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, which is 6 blocks or approximately 1 km from the Landmark Empire Hotel. If you need transportation to the reception, please inform the program chair. Taxis are readily available outside both hotels and the fare is approximately $5 to go between hotels.
The program committee would like to encourage you to buy the daily box lunches because there will be several lunchtime roundtable sessions on topics such as Nanotechnology, Engineering Education, STS Engaged, Interdisciplinarity, to STS in Canada. In addition the four "author meets critic" sessions will also occur over lunch. If you or some group is planning a lunchtime meeting for the 4S Conference in Vancouver, please email the chair to let her know that it may be placed on the program.
Location and Accommodations
The Empire Landmark, 1400 Robson St., Vancouver, B.C. V6G 1B9 Canada Tel: (604) 687-0511; Fax: (604) 687-7267 is holding a block of rooms for participants at $92.00 CAD single or double occupancy plus tax. Reservations must be made by October 1, 2006 to guarantee this rate. After this date reservations will be accepted on a space available basis only. Be sure to mention that you are attending the 4S conference.
To find a roommate, consider using the 4S discussion board.
The Student Section (6S) is arranging affordable alternative accommodations.
Download a VancouverDining Guide. (.doc)
Transport from the Airport to Empire Landmark Hotel
There is an airport shuttle bus called: Airporter that stops at Empire Landmark Hotel.
The price is $13.00 Canadian and round trip $20. The last bus leaves the airport at 20:48 and you pay the bus driver. There are taxi's for $30.00 one way.
Childcare Options
Childcare in Vancouver is in high demand, and can be costly. Drop-in childcare options are rare, and you should make advance plans if you hope to arrange childcare for infants or older children. The following groups may assist in planning childcare:
The YMCA advises that all of their Under 5 programs are currently full and do not offer Drop-In child care. Their School-Age programs do offer Drop-In care, but the hours are for only before school and after school hours. The Resource and Referral Office at 604-709-5661 may be able to assist you in finding an appropriate, licensed child care.
Nannies on Call offer individual or small group nannying in a home or hotel room (the nanny:child ratio depends on childrens ages). They can also take bookings for a larger group of children during an event. Their basic rate starts at $16CAN/hour, and a minimum booking of 3 hours is required. All nannies are fully qualified and bonded. They may not drive children or administer medications. For bookings and information, call 604-734-1776, 1-877-214-2828
Just like Mum! A provider of temporary childcare since 1992. Specializing in Group/Convention activities where children/teens will explore Vancouver's "Kid" friendly venues! Private care also available. .
In addition, the Best Western downtown has a babysitting service and is near the Empire Hotel and the Hyatt.
Exhibitors and Sponsors
Book exhibits have always been a major feature at the annual conference. Sponsors are always welcome and receive special considerations in return for their sponsorship. Those organizations wishing to exhibit or sponsor an event at the conference are encouraged to contact the >conference administrator.
Mentoring Program
The 4S Council has endorsed an iniative by the 4S Student Section (6S) to begin a mentoring program in 2006. When registering for the annual meeting, 4S members will have the option to sign up to participate as a mentor, mentee, or both. We will match participants in advance of the meeting, and facilitate introductions. This program is targeted to help young scholars, graduate students, and first-time meeting attendees. Expectations will include having 2-3 conversations during the year. This will be a pilot program for 2006, with the possibility of extension. If you have questions, ideas, or want to volunteer to help implement the mentoring program, please contact Jason Delborne, 4S student representative. Let us know your interest in participating as either a mentor or mentee.
Call for Papers: Silence, Suffering and Survival
Deadline for Submissions was April 3, 2006
This year's theme is "Silence, Suffering and Survival", and it is designed to explore the overlooked spaces, boundaries, actors, networks, and artifacts of science and technology. We welcome papers and panels that address questions about the silences of silencing, unintended consequences, and persistence in science, technology and STS. The topic is meant to open up and stir discussion about theorizing in areas we may have overlooked such as the process of secrecy under which processes of silence are often conducted. Possible topics might include the science and technology of slavery, disability, survival, warfare, peace, and quantification. Discussions might address de-moralization and re-moralization within science, technology and STS, the sort of silence/noise created by technology/science, and how technology/science create and alleviate suffering and/or survival. This could include processes of survival that are often off the record, such as workarounds, “older ways of knowing”, older (non-scientific) ways of knowing, and …?
New Session Formats
Some sessions at the Vancouver 4S will be designated "working sessions" for which papers will be available online in advance, and allotted time will be primarily for discussion. If you would like to organize a working session please contact Josh Greenberg, Tarleton Gillespie, or Sergio Sismondo
Some sessions at the Vancouver 4S will be designated "new media". If you would like to organize a session or participate in one please contact Linda Layne.
Contact
For more information, contact the Program Chair: Wenda K. Bauchspies.
2007 Annual Meeting
October 11-13, Montreal, Canada
Doubletree Plaza Hotel Montreal
Download Program (456 kb PDF)
Download Abstracts (1.4 mb PDF)
Call for Papers
Ways of Knowing
The February 1 deadline for submitting papers and sessions has passed. Authors and organizers will receive notification about the status of their submissions shortly.
The theme for the conference is ways of knowing. By this we mean several things: implicitly, that there are many ways of knowing any particular object, process, or event; that some of these ways of knowing have historically been more valued than others; and that processes of adjudicating ways of knowing have usually been neither nice nor neutral. So we are interested in processes of valuation (from the language of debates to acts of censorship) that result in one way of knowing as “the right one” or “the natural one.” We are interested in how people, groups, or cultures hold more than one way of knowing, and whether this is stable, durable, or problematic. When different ways of knowing are triangulated, how is this actually done in practice? What is lost and what is gained in the triangulation process?
We are interested in how certain ways of knowing are deemed to be “non-scientific,” (for example, magic, divination, astrology, etc). Several other interesting areas spring from this mixture of questions: historically, what is kept, or what is ignored, in studies of knowledges and paradigm shifts? (Including here questions of collective memory and collective forgetting.) How do new regimes of record keeping, such as the electronic patient record or the full text data base, affect what is remembered and what is forgotten? (This may be true across a large numbers of fields.) All sorts of questions about translation arise in discussing these issues – Who chooses what is to be translated? Who does the translation? Does the quality of the translation impact the nature of knowledge, and if so, how? In Howard Becker's famous concept, "hierarchy of credibility," he claims that, for a well-socialized member of a hierarchical organization or institution, information coming from "the top" is de facto more credible than that coming from "the bottom." So, a bank president, regardless of what she says, is more credible than a temporary janitor. However, within science studies, and following many sorts of principles of symmetry, we do not take members' hierarchies for granted, especially as questions of voice and position are precisely the matters under analysis.
Given that our conference will be in Quebec, one of the sites where language (as a marker) of difference was bitterly disputed, we must examine the idea that language carries powerful politics. In some cases, as with Aboriginal children, the attempt to suppress a language is linked with the destruction of culture and even with genocide. Finally, there are different ways of knowing that are formed by gestures, by ways of pronouncing words, or by how names are heard and understood. Sometimes ways of knowing are different with respect to quantitative vs. qualitative; visual vs. textual, or statistical vs. enumerative. These only suggest the ways knowledges may frame findings, thus mirroring a final finding.
A final word about themes: these are posed in order to help frame related research. As always, themes are meant to suggest and encourage, not provide an iron cage. So, the Program Committee welcomes work that is outside the sketches drawn here; submissions are welcome from any of the variety of areas normally addressed by 4S (or even those not normally addressed, but which need to be).
Program Practices
Given the growing size of the 4S conferences and the desire to be as inclusive as possible, the program committee will need to make full use of the available time slots. Therefore, individuals may be listed for a paper presentation and one other activity (such as session chair or discussant but not a second paper) for a maximum of two appearances.
Session proposals should be based on the assumption of two-hour time slots with fifteen minutes per presentation. A typical session may have six papers, one discussant, and a fifteen-minute open discussion slot. Proposals for double and triple sessions on a single topic may receive a request to consolidate the topic into one panel or to break the multiple sessions into different topics. The program committee may need to assign additional papers to sessions in order to accommodate the number of submissions and reduce the rejection rate.
Panels generally consist of research presentations, but alternative formats are available:
- “Working Sessions” Participants in Working Sessions will post their papers or presentations prior to the meeting, allowing for more discussion during the sessions. If you have more questions about working sessions, please contact Sergio Sismondo.
- “New Media” sessions involve screening of video and other media.
- Poster sessions will be an open event on Thursday evening.
- A limited number of roundtable proposals may be accepted for the lunch-time slot. Generally, roundtables are on institutional topics such as mentoring and career development.
The program chair is David Hess. Please address all questions through the program chair assistant, Anne Borrero.
2008 Annual Meeting
August 20-23, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Held jointly with European Association for the Study of Science and Technology (EASST)
View the slide show. Below you will find the draft program and information about registration, lodging, and several social programs. These include the conference banquet on Friday night, an excursion to the Dutch waterworks, and the welcome reception in the Rotterdam town hall. As a special service we are offering the possibility to register for child care. The conference venue is at the Woudestein campus of the Erasmus University Rotterdam.
Location
The conference venue is at the Woudestein campus of the Erasmus University Rotterdam. The conference is located in the T and M buildings on campus. On-site registration is in the M-building and opens on Wednesday 20 August at 14:00 hrs.
Program
The final program for the conference is now available. (This is a 677KB PDF file. You will need the Adobe Reader to open it.) You can also download the book of abstracts (2.8 MB pdf).
Special Events
A welcome reception will be organized at the Rotterdam Town Hall (located at the Coolsingel 40) on Wednesday 20 August from 18:30 to 19:30. Participation in the welcome reception is free, but please note that participation is limited and will be provided on a first-come-first go basis.
The Friday evening banquet will be held in one of the most exciting locations in town, the former Cruise Terminal of the Holland America Line (note that the site is Dutch only). This Terminal has since 1873 been the point of departure for some 850,000 immigrants from Europe on their way to New Amsterdam (these days better known to some as New York). The Cruise Terminal is located in the old harbor that is now completely renovated, overlooking the Erasmus (‘swan’) bridge. See the Port of Rotterdam website for more information on the area.
There is also the possibility to join a guided tour to the Dutch waterworks. (CLOSED) The guide is Wiebe Bijker himself, who has published extensively on these waterworks. Transport from the conference location will be provided. Participation is limited to 60 people.
(Please note, these event options are labeled "sessions" in our registration system.)
Blog
Can't come to the meeting? Follow along courtesy of volunteer bloggers.
Extra-curriculars
Here are some things going on in Rotterdam for when you are not giving a talk or listening to papers.
At the Lloyd Multiplein there is the 'open air movie theatre' playing films from about 21.30 (or when it is dark enough). The program looks promising (see http://www.pleinbioscoop.nl/ for details -- the site is in dutch but just click on 'programma' in the upper menu) and is for free. You can bring your own drinks (but glass is not allowed) and you can get a chair at the site (or hire, the site is not explicit here; last year it was 1 euro for a chair). The Lloyd Multiplein is at the Westzeedijk -- take tram 8 and get out at Oostkousdijk or metro Calandlijn, Coolhaven station, with a 10 minute walk.
On 22-23 August there is the 'formula zero' race with cars using fuel cell powered cars. The race is at the Willemsplein (underneath the 'Swan' or Erasmus bridge). For more information, see http://www.formulazero.nl/.
In the Boymans van Beuningen museum, there is an exhibition on 100 years of Dutch design. From 23 August, there is an exhibition of the Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama.
At the site of the Rotterdam 'uitburo' you can find a host of other activities going on in the city.
The site is unfortunately Dutch only, which will however give you an extra occasion to talk to any of the Dutch participants at the conference.
Registration
Early registration has now closed! Register now if you haven't done so to avoid the high onsite registration fee. Register online using Mastercard or Visa. You will be prompted to log in (if you are a member of EASST and/or 4S) or to create a profile for the web site (if you are not). There are attractively priced packages that includemembership and registration.
As registration is in US dollars but our expenses are in Euros, changing exchange rates can lead to changes in the amounts of dollars that you are charged for registration. Please make sure to register as soon as possible. The current registration fee schedule is below. These are member rates.
Early |
After June 17 |
On site |
|
| Professionals | €185 | €265 | €330 |
| Students | €110 | €160 | €195 |
Lodging
Rotterdam has lots of hotel and hostel accommodations. The Rotterdam conference bureau has provided a overview of reservation policies and a list of hotels and other accommodation. For the hotels on this list we have reserved many rooms for participants to the conference to ensure all will be accommodated; for some of the hotels we have also been able to arrange discounts. In order to make use of these discounts, please make reservations through this website, which will be handled by the local conference bureau.
Travel $ for students
The deadline for travel grant applications is now closed.
Exhibitors
Note for publishers: if you want to exhibit books at the conference, please contact Marije Stofregen.
Mentorship Program
The 4S student section ("6S") is involved in ongoing efforts to mentor new faculty and students, and this will be the third year for our Mentor Program. The goal of the project is to facilitate mentoring of individuals who are new to the conference and/or to the Society. A mentoring relationship assumes a minimum of one conversation at the annual meeting in Rotterdam. We hope that mentoring relationships will also continue with at least two follow-up phone calls or emails during the following 12 months.
If you are interested in taking part in the mentor program, you must be registered for the conference.
We will match less experienced scholars with more experienced scholars and make an effort to assign mentors outside of one's university. We hope that the mentoring project will allow new scholars to feel more at home in the STS community.
Child care
Due to unsufficient interest, the organising committee has decided to cancel the childcare offering, as the cost per child would be unaccaptably high.
Call for Papers: Acting with science, technology and medicine
The four-yearly joint conference of The Society for Social Studies of Science (4S) and European Association for the Study of Science and Technology (EASST) will take place in Rotterdam, The Netherlands from 20th to 23rd August 2008. As with previous 4S/EASST conferences, the conference welcomes contributions on topics from the range of disciplines found within science, technology and innovation studies communities.
The theme for this conference is “Acting with science, technology and medicine”. This meeting responds to some remarkable and interesting changes in the concerns of STS research. STS-approaches are no longer only relevant for understanding the production of science, technology and innovation; they also are relevant for understanding the co-production of science and technology with policy, democracy, law, and the organization of health care, among other major institutional matters. Similarly STS researchers have become increasingly involved with practices of technology development, policymaking, legal decision-making and governance in different fields, such as science and technology policy, environmental regulation, and health care. The balance between observation and participation seems to have changed in these consequential practices of ‘acting with’. Such engagement is currently a major topic of discussion within the STS field. Several workshops, editorials and special issues have already been published or are under way. The ‘acting with’, or interventionist approach is likely to have consequences for research methodologies, for researchers’ obligations toward different publics, and for the kind of products STS-researchers deliver. In addition, like other aspects of science and technology, interventions by STS researchers are themselves subject to contingencies and negotiations that can lead to unanticipated consequences. This conference provides a forum to explore responses across the broad range of disciplinary perspectives found within science, technology and innovation studies. Papers are encouraged which explore diverse aspects of: the sponsors and audiences for STS research; the constitution of and relations with research objects and participants; the influences on methodological choices; and the construction of research products.
Program practices
Each participant in the conference will be limited to one first-authored submission and one other activity (such as session chair or discussant but not a second paper) for a maximum of two appearances.
Papers may be submitted individually or by a session organizer. Abstracts for papers should be 500 words or less, and must include both an outline of the paper, including a summary on methodology, and a brief statement on the contribution to the STS literature.
Session proposals should be limited to 500 words total, and should contain a summary and rationale for the session, and a brief discussion of its contribution to the STS community. Session proposals should list names of all session organizers and panelists, including institutional affiliations and (electronic) addresses. Session proposals should be based on the assumption of two-hour time slots with twenty minutes per presentation. A typical session may have five papers, one discussant, and a ten-minute open discussion slot. You must have a minimum of three complete paper descriptions in order to submit a session proposal.
Proposals for double and triple sessions on a single topic may receive a request to consolidate the topic into one panel or to break the multiple sessions into different topics. The program committee may need to assign additional papers to sessions in order to accommodate the number of submissions and reduce the rejection rate.
This Joint Meeting welcomes papers, sessions and events that are innovative in their delivery, organisation, range of topics, type of public and which bring new resources to the STS community to explore these new relations and themes. Of course, the theme is flexible, and is meant to accommodate a broad range of sessions and themes. Apart from traditional research papers, the conference will also welcome proposals for sessions and papers using ‘new media’ or other forms of innovative presentation.
For information on EASST, visit http://www.easst.net/.
For further inquiries, contact:
Roland Bal (chair program committee)
Dept. of Health Policy and Management
Erasmus University Medical Centre
2009 Annual Meeting
October 28 – 31, Washington, DC
Submission deadline passed
Cross-Atlantic Collaborative Research Support at NSF, Fred Kronz, Director Science, Technology and Society Program
Program
Download large PDF version (8.5 x 11 inches, 2MB) of the full program. An interactive version is available on the program management site.
Registration
Registration is now open on the 4S members portal. Register early and save. Non-members, join 4S while registering and save money. Members, renew while registering and avoid a separate transaction later.
| Early | On-site | ||
| Professionals | $150 | $225 | $300 |
| Students | $100 | $150 | $200 |
Location
Join us at the Hyatt Regency, Crystal City, in Arlington, Virginia, just across the river from Washington, DC, conveniently located on the Metro line and close to Reagan National Airport.
Travel to Washington
It is highly recommended that you fly into Washington/Reagan National Airport(DCA). This airport is near the city center and only 5 minutes from the hotel. There is also a free shuttle to and from the conference hotel. Please avoid flying into either Dulles Airport (IAD) or Baltimore/Washington Airport (BWI) as travel to the hotel can take hours and/or be costly. If you must fly into one of these airports, see ground transportation information for Dulles or Baltimore/Washington.
If you are arriving by train, you will arrive at Union Station in downtown DC. From there you will take the Red Line subway 2 stops to the gallery Place/Chinatown stop and change to the Yellow Line and go 5 stops to the Crystal City subway stop.
Arriving at the Crystal City Metro stop, you will come up on the escalator to street level and wait at the curb. The hotel has a van that circulates every 15-20 minutes to pick up hotel guests, including conference attendees. You can also walk from the subway stop to the hotel in about 20 minutes.
Maps
Google map of nearby restaurants
Lodging
The meeting will be held in its entirety at the Hyatt Regency, Crystal City, which is by far the most convenient hotel to the location. To get the special 4S hotel rate ($159, single or double occupancy), enter 'G-SSSS' (in the group/corporate # field) or call the central reservation line at 1-800-233-1234 and ask for the SSSS conference to get the special rate.
Travel $ for students
Please consult the travel grants page.
Exhibitors
The Society for Social Studies of Science (4S) is the oldest and largest scholarly association devoted to studying science, technology and society. The annual meeting attracts up to 1,000 scholars. Many attendees look forward to the the book exhibit for finding new books for class, for their research, and for staying current in the field. Visit the Exhibitors page for information on how to participate.
Mentorship Program
The 4S student section ("6S") is involved in ongoing efforts to mentor new faculty and students, and the Mentorship Program has become a popular part of the Annual Meeting. The goal of the project is to facilitate mentoring of individuals who are new to the conference and/or to the Society. A mentoring relationship assumes a minimum of one conversation at the annual meeting. We hope that mentoring relationships will also continue with at least two follow-up phone calls or emails during the following 12 months.
Registration for the mentorship program is now closed. For information, contact .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
We will match less experienced scholars with more experienced scholars and make an effort to assign mentors outside of one's university. We hope that the mentoring project will allow new scholars to feel more at home in the STS community.
2010 in Tokyo! Mark your calendars for the 2010 4S meeting, with Council for the Japanese Society of STS (JSSTS), 25-29 Aug in Tokyo Japan. Deadline for paper/session submission will be January 15, 2010. |
Call for papers
Submissions are now closed. If you have already submitted a paper or session, you can log in to the abstract management system to edit your contact information, but you cannot edit or delete what you have already submitted. Please direct all correspondence to the Program Chairs at.
This year’s conference will not have a predetermined theme. Consequently, proposals for sessions and papers should emphasize how they will make innovative and timely contributions to any theme relevant to science and technology studies (STS).
Guidelines
Given the growing size of the 4S conferences and the desire to be as inclusive as possible, the program committee will need to make full use of the available time slots. Therefore, individuals may be listed for a paper presentation and one other role (such as session chair or discussant but not a second paper) for a maximum of two appearances.
Paper abstracts may be submitted individually or by a session organizer. Submissions are in the form of abstracts of 500 words or less, and must include a summary of the paper’s main arguments and methodology, as well as a brief statement on the contribution to the STS literature.
Session proposals should be limited to 500 words total, and should contain a summary and rationale for the session, as well as a brief discussion of its contribution to STS. Session proposals should list names of all session organizers and panelists, including institutional affiliations and (electronic) addresses. Session proposals should be based on the assumption of two-hour time slots with twenty minutes per presentation. A typical session may have five papers, one discussant, and a ten-minute open discussion slot. You must have a minimum of three complete paper abstracts in order to submit a session proposal. The program committee may assign additional papers to proposed sessions.
Proposals for double and triple sessions on a single topic may receive a request to consolidate the topic into one panel or to break the multiple sessions into different topics.
The meeting welcomes papers, sessions and events that are innovative in their delivery, organization, range of topics, type of public and which bring new resources to the STS community to explore these new relations and themes. Apart from traditional research papers, the conference will also welcome proposals for sessions and papers using ‘new media’ or other forms of innovative presentation.
New session format
This year, for the first time, the 4S is including a new “workshop” format. This is an opportunity for informal presentations, with presenters and other attendees seated around tables. This format is ideal for a more interactive presentation of preliminary ideas and work in progress. Authors and session organizers should indicate if they would like to be part of a workshop table. Submissions for “workshop” presentations are included under the one first-authored submission limit, stated above. It is also possible for sessions to be proposed as workshop tables.
Contact info
For more information, contact the 4S program co-chairs, Barbara Allen and Daniel Breslau, at.
Future Meetings
2012
Copenhagen, joint meeting with EASST
October 17-21
2013
San Diego, Oct 9-12 2013
Town and Country Resort and Convention Center
2014
Buenos Aires
Exhibitors and Sponsors
October 17-20, 2012, Copenhagen Business School, Frederiksberg, Denmark
Held jointly with European Association for the Study of Science and Technology (EASST)
The Society for Social Studies of Science (4S) is the oldest and largest scholarly association devoted to studying science, technology and society with over 1200 members worldwide.
Members of this organization include
- scholars in anthropology, economics, education, history, philosophy, political science, sociology, psychology, and women’s studies
- interdisciplinary scholars that work in feminist theory, cultural theory, postcolonial theory, public policy, innovation theory, and design.
- scientists and engineers interested in the social aspects of their fields
- members of the public with an interest in the way that science and technology affects their lives
The conference is a five day event with over 10 concurrent sessions, receptions, and a book exhibit. The book exhibit showcases new releases and in print science and technology studies books. It provides editors, publishers and potential authors a chance to meet and discuss new book projects. Attendees depend on the book exhibit for finding new books for class, for their research and for staying current in the field.
Exhibit Space Pricing
Exhibitors have the choice of one 6 foot table ($150) or two 6 foot tables ($300) to display books from Thursday to Saturday.
Alternatively, publishers may send books to be displayed on a shared table from Thursday to Saturday for a $60.00 fee. The books will become the property of 4S/EASST and will be sold in the silent auction on Saturday to support graduate student travel. (The address for sending the books will be posted later and we ask that all books arrive between the 14-17th of October in Copenhagen.)
Exhibitior Registration is now open
Advertising in the Program
Attendees receive a pocket size program. A one-page ad is available for $200. Ads need to be 3 5/8” wide by 5” tall, 300 dpi, b/w or grayscale in any standard image format.
Sponsorship Opportunities
- Wednesday night opening reception
- Wednesday night hosted bar
- Thursday night reception
- Friday night (pre-banquet) reception
- Saturday night reception
- Coffee breaks
Contacts
4S Exhibitor Coordinator
Wenda Bauchspies
404-385-3382
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Program Practices
The following notes are for Program organizers. They represent guidelines based on past practices of the Society and recommendations of the 4S Council that should be followed where possible.
Participation
Given the growing size of the 4S conferences and the desire to be as inclusive as possible, the program committee will need to make full use of the available time slots. Therefore, individuals may be listed for a paper presentation and one other role (such as session chair or discussant but not a second paper) for a maximum of two appearances.
Session organizers are requested not to change the order of the presenters in their session.
Proposals for double and triple sessions on a single topic may receive a request to consolidate the topic into one panel or to break the multiple sessions into different topics.
Participants are not allowed to have someone else (non co-authors) present their paper without paying ordinary registration fees at the 4S conference.
Session format
4S provides *only* a screen and projector in each room. Rooms are not equipped with laptops. Instead, sessions organizers may be advised that presenters can provide their own or, more typically, go together and bring one laptop for the whole session. This is also true of other special equipment for presentations.
Requests for video conferencing, audio gear, and so forth may be made through the Special Needs box at the time of registration. However, these requests will only be accommodated if the budget allows.
The meeting welcomes papers, sessions and events that are innovative in their delivery, organization, range of topics, type of public and which bring new resources to the STS community to explore these new relations and themes.
Since 2008, the 4S started a “workshop” format. This is an opportunity for informal presentations, with presenters and other attendees seated around tables. This format is ideal for a more interactive presentation of preliminary ideas and work in progress. Authors and session organizers should indicate if they would like to be part of a workshop table. Submissions for “workshop” presentations are included under the one first-authored submission limit, stated above. It is also possible for sessions to be proposed as workshop tables.
Business Meetings
Publications committee meeting should be held from 1-3PM on Wednesday (the day preceding the meeting). The general council meeting should follow the Publications committee meeting from 3-6PM. The general business meeting should be held before the banquet (Friday night). Simultaneous sessions should be kept at a minimum. The most desirable program arrangement is to maximize the number of time slots as follows: Thursday - 4 Friday - 4 Saturday - 4 Participation in Sunday sessions is very low, and these are not advisable.
Travel Grants
4S administers a travel fund to support graduate student participation in its annual meetings. In addition to the base funding, a special fund was created from proceeds from the 2010 meeting. This “Tokyo Fund” supports Asian and African graduate students who wish to present a paper at 4S meetings.
Applications are sought at this location following the issuance of abstract acceptance notices. The anticipated application deadline for 2012 is May 22.
Awards are available for travel expenses only, not for food or lodging. The amount of each award will be determined once all applications have been received. In previous years, awards were in the range of $150-400, depending upon the distance to be traveled. However, the limited funds available do not allow us to award travel grants to all applicants.
The funding decision will be based on the following criteria:
- Quality: Is the abstract of appropriate quality for presentation at 4S?
- Conference participation beyond paper presentation: Are you organizing a panel or additional meeting, volunteering for additional work, etc.?
- Relevance: Is the student enrolled in a graduate program? Is 4S the right place for this paper?
- Completeness: Is the application complete?
- Availability of alternative funds: Does your home institution provide travel funds, etc.?
- Prior travel grants received: Did you receive 4S funding in the previous year?
- Diversity: 4s is committed to inclusion and participation of under-represented groups and seeks each year to provide funding to these students.
PLEASE READ ALL GUIDELINES CAREFULLY BEFORE APPLYING:
To qualify for a travel award, an applicant must be a graduate student presenting a paper at the 4S Annual Meeting and a member of 4S.
In cases of co-authorship, no more than one award will be granted for each paper presented.
However, because funds for these awards are provided by the U.S. National Science Foundation, 4S must comply with U.S. federal rules for reimbursable travel. The awardee is responsible for following the terms specified in NSF document 761, Travel to Foreign Countries. By submitting the application form the applicant agrees to abide by these terms. Reimbursement will not be provided unless these terms are followed.
Note that all air travel must occur on a U.S. carrier or in a U.S. airline designated seat on a foreign airline. Original receipts carrying the airline’s designator code and flight number must be provided (if you have an e-ticket, you must get a receipt at the time of check-in). Under certain circumstances, described in the NSF guidelines, travel on a foreign carrier may be allowed. Documentation of the unsuitability of U.S. carrier itineraries is required.
The mileage reimbursement rate for use of a privately owned vehicle is 37.5 cents per mile, per U.S. Internal Revenue Service guidelines. Receipts for gas must be provided!
For more information, please contact Prof. .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). In the subject line, put "4S Travel Grant Application: [name]."
Apply now.
Annual Meeting of the Society for Social Studies of Science (4S)
October 17-20, 2012, Copenhagen Business School, Frederiksberg, Denmark
2012: Copenhagen
Held jointly with European Association for the Study of Science and Technology (EASST)
Held jointly with European Association for the Study of Science and Technology (EASST)
Record Response to Copenhagen Meeting Call
Over 1700 papers have been submitted for the Joint 4S / EASST meeting in Copenhagen--an unprecedented number. Acceptance notices are projected to go out on or around May 1st, after which time registration will open. Registration fees have not been set.
From Copenhagen to Copenhagenization
The city of Copenhagen was founded more than 800 years ago, and is known for combining the old-world charm of its medieval origins with the vibrant life of a modern European metropolis. Copenhagen is the capital of Denmark, but with merely 1.5 million inhabitants, the city is human in scale. A network of car-free pedestrian zones and cobbled squares creates a lively and attractive downtown area with cafés, cinemas and museums. The high quality public transportation system, consisting of the metro, buses, and trains connects the centre with its suburbs and the airport (a 20-minute ride). For tourist information: http://www.visitcopenhagen.dk/.
At the 4S/EASTS conference 2012, the local organizing committee invites you to explore not only the city of Copenhagen, but also the phenomenon of Copenhagenization. This concept refers to the status the city has acquired as a site for experimental design, green city development, and bicycling. When part of Broadway on Manhattan was turned into a bike path, this was talked about as an instance of Copenhagenization. In line with the overall theme of the 2012 4S/EASTS conference, Design and Displacement, the local organizing committee wishes to discuss Copenhagen as a socio material space, which constantly evolves through design experiments and their partly unexpected effects. On Wednesday October 17, we thus attempt to ‘localize’ the conference and address the concept of ’Copenhagenization’ as an example of a range of specific design experiments in relation to city planning and sustainability. We zoom in on interventions in relation to traffic planning, bicycling, culture, gastronomy, etc., and look at how they disturb existing technical, organizational, and cultural spaces. Throughout the conference, we will serve New Nordic food, and on Wednesday there will be tasters and exhibitions about this theme in the registration area.
Exhibitors
The 4S is the oldest and largest scholarly association devoted to studying science, technology and society. The annual meeting attracts over 1,000 scholars. Many attendees look forward to the book exhibit for finding new books for class, for their research, and for staying current in the field. Visit the Exhibitors page for information on how to participate. http://www.4sonline.org/meeting/exhibitors
Mentorship Program
The Mentorship Program has become a popular part of the 4S conference. The goal of the program is to exchange ideas with junior scholars and support their career development. A mentoring relationship assumes a minimum of one conversation at the 4S conference. It is hoped that mentoring relationships will also continue with at least two follow-up phone calls or emails during the following 12 months. We will match new scholars with more experienced scholars and make an effort to assign mentors outside of one's university. We hope that the mentoring project will allow new scholars to feel more at home in the STS community.
Visit the Mentorship Program registration page for more information and to sign up: http://www.4sonline.org/meeting/mentorship_program
Travel Support for Students
Please consult the travel grants page for more information.
http://www.4sonline.org/meeting/travel_grants
Important Dates
- January 4, 2012: Deadline for submitting open panels
- January 18, 2012: Abstract submissions open:
- March 18, 2012: Deadline for submissions of individual papers and session proposals.
- May 15, 2012: Acceptance notification.
CALL FOR PAPERS: “Design and displacement – social studies of science and technology”
Deadline for abstract submission: March 18, 2012
The quadrennial joint conference of The Society for Social Studies of Science (4S) and European Association for the Study of Science and Technology (EASST) will take place October 17-20, 2012 in Copenhagen, Denmark. For the conference we invite papers that address the dynamics and interrelationships between science, technology and society. Papers which address the conference’s theme ‘Design and Displacement’ are especially relevant, but papers on any topic in STS are welcome.
‘Design’ has become a key concept across a multitude of disciplinary domains and social spheres. In addition to its traditional ‘aesthetic’ associations, it is now a key term in multiple scientific domains and in diverse technological practices. One can even think of societies and social arrangements being ‘designed’. In science and technology, ‘design’ implies the re-arrangement of materials and ideas for innovative purposes. When newly designed scientific and technical objects enter the world, however, their initial purposes are often displaced.
For decades, STS researchers have been following the practical and political dimensions of science and technology. By focusing on concepts and practices of scientific and technological design at their sites of construction and on their multiple displacements, the 2012 conference continues this tradition. By bringing together ‘design’ and ‘displacement’ we want to highlight how scientific and technological design engages with existing socio-technical arrangements in both planned and unplanned ways, facilitating both collaborations and contestations, and generating both order and disorder.
The conference encourages analytic, critical, and practical engagement with design and displacement in several ways. First, it points to the need for investigating the relation between design intentions and their displacements, for example as catalysts for change and conflict. It also highlights the importance of investigating design controversies. It locates design practices in broader political contexts, and focuses attention on how design facilitates or hinders social inclusion, locally and globally. The theme ‘Design and Displacement’ invites careful analyses of the way design practices take part in shaping worlds. However, ‘Design and Displacement’ also raises questions around STS as design work and practice-based interventions. In this sense design becomes simultaneously topic and outcome, a situation that raises new questions concerning the role of STS research.
Program practices
Each participant in the conference will be limited to only one paper presentation and one other activity (such as session chair or discussant but not a second paper) for a maximum of two appearances.
Papers may be submitted individually or by a session organizer. Paper abstracts should be up to 250 words. They should include the main arguments, methodology, and their contribution to the STS literature. The title of papers should be up to 10 words.
New this year, individual papers may be submitted to one or more “Open Panels”. The call for open panel themes received enthusiastic response from the community. 106 panels are available, which have been grouped into 10 subject clusters. View the full descriptions at http://www.4sonline.org/files/open_panels_12.pdf.
Session proposals should be limited to 250 words total, and should contain a theme and a rationale for the session, and a brief discussion of its contribution to the STS community. Session proposals should list a chairperson and names of all session organizers and panelists, including institutional affiliations and (electronic) addresses. Session proposals should be based on the assumption of 1½-hour time slots with fifteen minutes per presentation. A typical session consists of maximum five papers, one chairperson, and a fifteen-minute open discussion slot. You must have a minimum of three complete paper descriptions in order to submit a session proposal. You can add additional papers to the session up until the submission deadline.
Contact Info
The meeting “home page” is at http://www.4sonline.org/meeting. For information on EASST, visit http://www.easst.net/.
For general meeting information and any questions about the program, contact the Scientific Program Chair, Signe Vikkelsø at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
For technical assistance with the submission or registration process, contact .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).