[STS-Africa] 2014 ASA meeting proposed panel: Science as a Vocation in Africa

[Damien Droney]

This is a CFP for a proposed panel for the 2014 ASA conference in
Indianapolis. Please email me if you're interested!



*Science as a Vocation in Africa*

The proposed panel will look at the meanings and values attributed to
scientific vocations in modern Africa. Steven Shapin (2010) has suggested
that science studies today operates on the proposition that science belongs
to place, that it "bears the marks of the places where it is produced and
through which it is transmitted, and that whatever appearance of
placelessness it possesses is itself a spatially grounded phenomenon."
While scientific research networks are characterized by the transnational
circulation of researchers, material, and data, the locations of scientific
practice still matter. What, then, does the place "Africa" mean for the
vocation of science on the African continent? Depending on the papers
submitted, the panel may consider questions such as these:



-How has the performative power of "Africa" as a concept shaped the
symbolism and practice of science on or around the continent?

-How have the collective historical experiences of the African continent
(missionization, colonization, independence, structural adjustment)
affected the cultures and values of science in contemporary Africa?

-What practical conditions of employment and remuneration shape scientific
professions today or in the past?

-To what ends is scientific research oriented in Africa?



The panel abstract will be finalized after all of the papers have been
accepted. Panel members are encouraged to give feedback on the panel
abstract.



To submit a paper, email a 300-word abstract to
droney.damien at gmail.combefore March 3. The final panel abstract will
be due to ASA by March 15.



Damien Droney

PhD Candidate

Anthropology

Stanford University

droney.damien at gmail.com
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