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Is STS an Innovation Discipline? Bridging Critique and Practice

Thu, September 5, 9:45 to 11:15am, Sheraton New Orleans Hotel, Floor: Four, Gallier A

Abstract

This panel explores the ambiguous relationship between STS and innovation. Innovation is increasingly contested: it is heralded as a driver of technology, economy, and human empowerment, but it is also maligned as a destructive force that privileges novelty above all. STS has played a key role in the making and unmaking of innovation. STS scholars have challenged the concept of innovation, problematized its association with neoliberal economic and political forces, and posited alternative values for structuring science and technology. STS also has been a source of innovation expertise. From actor-network theory to “midstream modulation,” STS scholars have asked where knowledge, artifacts, and practices come from and how they travel. Moreover, there is a related tradition of STS scholars who seek to transform the values and practices of innovation from within laboratories, corporations, government agencies, and educational institutions. We invite contributors from these varied approaches to engage in reflective critique of STS itself in order to foster productive exchanges and practical outcomes. We welcome contributions that address (but are not limited to):
- The role of STS as a change-oriented field
- How STS concepts circulate across disciplines and fields of practice
- Case studies that highlight the complexities of hybrid professional identities
- Examples of tools and methods for STS “in action”

Individual Presentations

Session Organizer