Science Studies during the Cold War and Beyond : Paradigms Defected

In the past two decades, scholars in the cross-disciplinary field known as 'science studies,' or STS (Science and Technology Studies), have illuminated the ways in which the social, political, and conceptual developments of science and technology in the 20th century were shaped by the symbiotic relationships of science with the state and politics, demonstrating that political ambitions and intellectual/scientific production are inseparable. But this kind of analysis has hardly ever led to the self-reflexive effort to understand science studies as it was informed and shaped by political tensions. As a professional community, science studies scholars themselves are, of course, no exception to dynamics of interaction between experts, politicians and the state. However, so far few existing accounts have examined the social, political, and intellectual developments that laid its foundation. This volume seeks to add historical depth to the existing historiographic reflections on the post-WWII developments in history, philosophy and sociology of science, reconsidering conceptual and political origins of science studies as an academic discipline. In particular, it illuminates the ways in which the confrontation between superpowers informed significant transitions in this field in different national contexts. Since the Cold War defined a bipolar regime founded on opposing ideologies, it created the circumstances for designing different, alternative and at times conflicting interpretations of what science was or should be.