International Reserach Group
"Science and Technology in European Periphery"
STEP's 6th meeting
18-22 June 2008, Istanbul, Turkey
Looking back, STEPping forward.
Scientific Travels, Textbooks, Popularization and Controversies
in the European Periphery
Çevre Avrupası'nda Bilim ve Teknoloji Tarihi VI. Uluslararası Kongresi
Düzenleyen
İstanbul Üniversitesi Edebiyat Fakültesi Felsefe Bölümü
Bilim Tarihi Anabilim Dalı
Organized by
Istanbul University, Faculty of Letters, Department of Philosophy
Chair for History of Science
>>>PROGRAM<<<
>>>PAPERS<<<
Introduction
Founded in 1999 in Barcelona, the international STEP group is organizing its 6th meeting. This meeting will be hosted by the Chair for the History of Science of Istanbul University. Topics addressed in former meetings include scientific and technological travels, textbooks, popularization of science and technology in the European periphery and national historiographies of science. All thematic meetings attempt to strike a balance between the analysis of different case studies and historiographical reflections, with the purpose of building a framework in which comparative studies will be assessed. For further details see www.uoa.gr/step.
Location
Place: Istanbul University, Faculty of Letters, Beyazit-Istanbul.
Date: June 18-22, 2008. Working days: 19, 20, 21.
Aims of the Meeting
The 6th STEP meeting has a double aim: to revisit old themes and to start discussing a new theme: scientific controversies. The meeting will provide a good opportunity to further our understanding of themes (travels, textbooks and popularization of science in the European periphery) on which we have made progress (see STEP publications) and, at the same time, open for discussion the topic of scientific and technological controversies in (or involving) the European periphery.
Old themes will be discussed in the format of round-tables. Round-tables involving 5 participants will be organized by the Scientific Committee. Besides a chairperson they will include 4 rapporteurs, 2 selected by the Scientific Committee and 2 who submit their application through the call for papers. The chairperson will provide a summary of what has been accomplished in the aforementioned STEP volumes, and make some additional comments on potential extensions, on weak points and on issues that can be worked out more analytically in view of the discussions that have taken place in relation to STEP's other research topics. This report will previously be provided to the other participants of the round table who will comment on the report. Then there will be discussion, followed by synthetic closing by the chairperson.
The chosen new topic is Scientific and Technological Controversies in the European Periphery. Papers on the new topic will follow the format of previous meetings. Accepted papers will be organized in session (3-4 papers plus a comment). Papers are pre-circulated and just a summary will be provided during the STEP meeting to allow for ample discussion.
Controversies have been part of the daily life of scientists. They are disputes relatively extended in time formulated publicly, which involve different levels of disagreement (empirical, theoretical or ontological) and aim at convincing not only direct opponents but also specific audiences. In fact, they often impinge on the practice of the scientific community to such an extent that scientists may question the validity of criteria used in assessing claims of contending parties as well as criteria invoked when controversies eventually come to a closure.
While there is an extensive literature on scientific controversies they have seldom been addressed from the point of view of the European periphery. Controversies are instances of science-in-action which are particularly suited to highlight the dependence of science from local contexts, in their multiple social, cultural, political, institutional, and religious dimensions as well as from the idiosyncrasies of individual contenders particularly vis-à-vis the cognitive dimensions of science. Therefore, they appear particularly suited to assess the specificities of the practices of appropriation of science throughout time and across disciplines in different sites of the European Periphery.
Deadlines and Registration
Title and Abstracts for papers on the new theme with no more than 250 words should be submitted by October 1, 2007.
Potential rapporteurs for the old themes round-tables should manifest their willingness to act as such by October 1, 2007
Decision on accepted and rejected papers and on selected rapporteurs will be made public by December 1, 2007.
Accepted papers will be pre-circulated. Deadline for submitting final versions is May 1.
For round-tables on old themes, chairpersons should circulate their report among rapporteurs by March 1, 2008 in order to give rapporteurs ample time for preparation their reports.
Participation and costs
This meeting is specifically addressed to STEP members.
If you are not a member and would like to submit a paper, begin by submitting your request for membership just by sending to Jose Ramon Bertomeu Sanchez (Jose.R.Bertomeu@uv.es) 3-5 lines introducing yourself and asking him to send it to the NODUS list.
As in the other workshops, STEP members will pay their plane tickets.
It is hoped that Host Institution will raise the necessary funding for hotel accommodation and subsistence.
In case of shortness of funds, priority will be given to STEP junior members (MSc and PhD students).
Contact Information
The contact e-mail address for the call of papers is
step2008-ist@bilimtarihi.org or aisimoes@fc.ul.pt
Output
The general assembly which traditionally closes STEP meetings will discuss possible publication outlets for the papers presented at this meeting.
Scientific Committee
Antonio Garcia Belmar belmar@ua.es
Kostas Gavroglu kgavro@phs.uoa.gr
Paola Govoni paola.govoni2@unibo.it
Feza Gunergun feza.gunergun@bilimtarihi.org
Anders Lundgren Anders.Lundgren@idehist.uu.se
David Nofre david_nofre@yahoo.es
Faidra Papaneloupoulou faidrap@gmail.com
Pedro Raposo petrus.vulpes@gmail.com
Ana Simoes aisimoes@fc.ul.pt, chairwoman
Josep Simon phljs@leeds.ac.uk
Brigitte Van Tiggelen vantiggelen@memosciences.be
Local Organizing Committee
Meltem Akbas kocamanmeltem@gmail.com
Kaan Ata kaan_ata@yahoo.com
Atilla Bir bir@itu.edu.tr
Emre Dölen emredolen@gmail.com
Feza Günergun feza.gunergun@bilimtarihi.org, chairwoman
Sevtap Kadioglu sevtapk@istanbul.edu.tr
Berna Kilinc bernakilinc@gmail.com
