CALL FOR APPLICATIONS
Closing date for applications: extended to 15 March 2009
ESF-ZiF-Bielefeld Conference
Science and Values: The Politicisation of Science
25-30 May 2009, Center for Interdisciplinary Research (ZiF),
Bielefeld, Germany
www.esf.org/conferences/09286
Chaired by: Martin Carrier & Peter Wengart, University of Bielefeld, Germany
ESF Contact: Anne Blondeel-Oman - [log in to unmask]
The ESF-Conference Series on "Science and Values" will be hosted by Bielefeld University and the Center for Interdisciplinary Research (ZiF), and is being organized by the Institute for Science and Technology Studies (IWT) of Bielefeld University in cooperation with the European Science Foundation. The series will encompass three conferences in a biennial schedule beginning in 2009, and again in 2011 and 2013. The topics of these conferences will be politicization, commercialization, and medialization of science, respectively.
A general worry in this field is that the inclusion of sociopolitical values in the confirmation practice of science tends to undercut the objectivity of science. For instance, in the field of expertise, science-based advice for political decision-making is in constant danger of becoming identified with one of the warring political factions. By tying its judgments too intimately to certain sociopolitical values, science runs the risk of losing its credibility. On the one hand, including such values in the assessment procedure is mandatory for a responsible science. On the other hand, a social bias of science tends to undercut the overarching authority of science which derives from its factual basis. A science tied too intimately with social values might lose the capacity of "speaking truth to power." As a result, the increasing politicization of science might undermine its credibility. To the extent that science enters the social arena and becomes part of political power play, the scientific claims to objectivity and trustworthiness tend to be sapped.
Each conference will bring together the knowledge and reflective competence of three disciplines, including the history, philosophy, and sociology of science. Such analyses of experts from science studies will be enriched with the experience and understanding of the practitioners, i.e., scientists working under value-related pressure (as it arises from practical challenges and social demands). In addition, representatives of relevant social groups (such as stakeholders) and the media will be included where appropriate.
Conferences will include short talks selected from the submitted abstracts.
Financial Support: some grants are available for young researchers to cover the conference fee and possibly part of the travel costs. Grant requests should be made by ticking appropriate field(s) in the paragraph "Grant application" of the application form.
Conference sessions will focus on:
· Science in the Social Arena
Helga Nowotny - European Research Council, AT
David Guston - Arizona State University, US
· Influence of Politics on Science
Norton Wise - University of California, Los Angeles, US
Dominique Pestre - EHESS, FR
Harry Collins - Cardiff University, UK
Robert Evans - Cardiff University, UK
· Influence of Science on Politics
Daniel Sarewitz - Arizona State University, US
· Science and Societal Risks
Heather Douglas - University of Tennessee, US
Ortwin Renn - University of Stuttgart, DE
· Historical Perspective
Loren Graham - MIT, US
· Science and Political Values
John Dupré - University of Exeter, UK
Don Howard - University of Notre Dame, US
Janet Kourany - University of Notre Dame, US
Cassandra Pinnick - Western Kentucky University, US
· Democratization of Science
Philip Kitcher - Columbia University, US
Gürol Irzik - Bogazici University, TR
Sheila Jasanoff - Harvard University, US
· Science and Politics: Nano Research
Alfred Nordmann - TU Darmstadt, DE
Arie Rip - Twente University, NL
· Science in Society and the Media
Jan Sokol - Charles University, CZ
Lu Feng - Tsinghua University, CN
Daniel Greenberg - Author, US
Invited Speakers' background and research interests - click here <http://www.esf.org/index.php?eID=tx_nawsecuredl&u=0&file=fileadmin/be_user/activities/research_conferences/Docs_NEW/2009/09-286_Speakers_background.pdf&t=1236358958&hash=dd7746184ef1efdb6738e812ad1ffe4f> for more information...
Full conference programme and application form accessible online from
www.esf.org/conferences/09286
Kind regards,
Corinne Wininger
Communications Officer - ESF Conferences
European Science Foundation - Communications Unit
1 quai Lezay-Marnésia, BP 90015
67080 Strasbourg Cedex, France
Phone: +33 (0)388 76 21 50
Fax: +33 (0)388 76 71 80
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www.esf.org/conferences
This conference is organised by the European Science Foundation (ESF <http://www.esf.org/conferences> ), in partnership with Bielefeld University <http://www.uni-bielefeld.de/> and the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research (ZiF <http://www.uni-bielefeld.de/(en)/ZIF/index.html> ) of Bielefeld.
