Annual Meeting of the Society for Social Studies of Science (4S)

October 17-20, 2012, Copenhagen Business School, Frederiksberg, Denmark

2012: Copenhagen
Held jointly with European Association for the Study of Science and Technology (EASST)

Record Response to Copenhagen Meeting Call

Over 1700 papers have been submitted for the Joint 4S / EASST meeting in Copenhagen--an unprecedented number. Acceptance notices are projected to go out on or around May 1st, after which time registration will open. Registration fees have not been set.

From Copenhagen to Copenhagenization

The city of Copenhagen was founded more than 800 years ago, and is known for combining the old-world charm of its medieval origins with the vibrant life of a modern European metropolis. Copenhagen is the capital of Denmark, but with merely 1.5 million inhabitants, the city is human in scale. A network of car-free pedestrian zones and cobbled squares creates a lively and attractive downtown area with cafés, cinemas and museums. The high quality public transportation system, consisting of the metro, buses, and trains connects the centre with its suburbs and the airport (a 20-minute ride). For tourist information: http://www.visitcopenhagen.dk/.

At the 4S/EASTS conference 2012, the local organizing committee invites you to explore not only the city of Copenhagen, but also the phenomenon of Copenhagenization. This concept refers to the status the city has acquired as a site for experimental design, green city development, and bicycling. When part of Broadway on Manhattan was turned into a bike path, this was talked about as an instance of Copenhagenization. In line with the overall theme of the 2012 4S/EASTS conference, Design and Displacement, the local organizing committee wishes to discuss Copenhagen as a socio material space, which constantly evolves through design experiments and their partly unexpected effects. On Wednesday October 17, we thus attempt to ‘localize’ the conference and address the concept of ’Copenhagenization’ as an example of a range of specific design experiments in relation to city planning and sustainability. We zoom in on interventions in relation to traffic planning, bicycling, culture, gastronomy, etc., and look at how they disturb existing technical, organizational, and cultural spaces. Throughout the conference, we will serve New Nordic food, and on Wednesday there will be tasters and exhibitions about this theme in the registration area.

Exhibitors

The 4S is the oldest and largest scholarly association devoted to studying science, technology and society. The annual meeting attracts over 1,000 scholars. Many attendees look forward to the book exhibit for finding new books for class, for their research, and for staying current in the field. Visit the Exhibitors page for information on how to participate. http://www.4sonline.org/meeting/exhibitors

Mentorship Program

The Mentorship Program has become a popular part of the 4S conference. The goal of the program is to exchange ideas with junior scholars and support their career development. A mentoring relationship assumes a minimum of one conversation at the 4S conference. It is hoped that mentoring relationships will also continue with at least two follow-up phone calls or emails during the following 12 months. We will match new scholars with more experienced scholars and make an effort to assign mentors outside of one's university. We hope that the mentoring project will allow new scholars to feel more at home in the STS community.

Visit the Mentorship Program registration page for more information and to sign up: http://www.4sonline.org/meeting/mentorship_program

Travel Support for Students

Please consult the travel grants page for more information.
http://www.4sonline.org/meeting/travel_grants

Important Dates

January 4, 2012: Deadline for submitting open panels
January 18, 2012: Abstract submissions open:
March 18, 2012: Deadline for submissions of individual papers and session proposals.
May 15, 2012: Acceptance notification.

CALL FOR PAPERS: “Design and displacement – social studies of science and technology”

Deadline for abstract submission: March 18, 2012

The quadrennial joint conference of The Society for Social Studies of Science (4S) and European Association for the Study of Science and Technology (EASST) will take place October 17-20, 2012 in Copenhagen, Denmark. For the conference we invite papers that address the dynamics and interrelationships between science, technology and society. Papers which address the conference’s theme ‘Design and Displacement’ are especially relevant, but papers on any topic in STS are welcome.

‘Design’ has become a key concept across a multitude of disciplinary domains and social spheres. In addition to its traditional ‘aesthetic’ associations, it is now a key term in multiple scientific domains and in diverse technological practices. One can even think of societies and social arrangements being ‘designed’. In science and technology, ‘design’ implies the re-arrangement of materials and ideas for innovative purposes. When newly designed scientific and technical objects enter the world, however, their initial purposes are often displaced.

For decades, STS researchers have been following the practical and political dimensions of science and technology. By focusing on concepts and practices of scientific and technological design at their sites of construction and on their multiple displacements, the 2012 conference continues this tradition. By bringing together ‘design’ and ‘displacement’ we want to highlight how scientific and technological design engages with existing socio-technical arrangements in both planned and unplanned ways, facilitating both collaborations and contestations, and generating both order and disorder.

The conference encourages analytic, critical, and practical engagement with design and displacement in several ways. First, it points to the need for investigating the relation between design intentions and their displacements, for example as catalysts for change and conflict. It also highlights the importance of investigating design controversies. It locates design practices in broader political contexts, and focuses attention on how design facilitates or hinders social inclusion, locally and globally. The theme ‘Design and Displacement’ invites careful analyses of the way design practices take part in shaping worlds. However, ‘Design and Displacement’ also raises questions around STS as design work and practice-based interventions. In this sense design becomes simultaneously topic and outcome, a situation that raises new questions concerning the role of STS research.

Program practices

Each participant in the conference will be limited to only one paper presentation and one other activity (such as session chair or discussant but not a second paper) for a maximum of two appearances.

Papers may be submitted individually or by a session organizer. Paper abstracts should be up to 250 words. They should include the main arguments, methodology, and their contribution to the STS literature. The title of papers should be up to 10 words.

New this year, individual papers may be submitted to one or more “Open Panels”. The call for open panel themes received enthusiastic response from the community. 106 panels are available, which have been grouped into 10 subject clusters. View the full descriptions at http://www.4sonline.org/files/open_panels_12.pdf.

Session proposals should be limited to 250 words total, and should contain a theme and a rationale for the session, and a brief discussion of its contribution to the STS community. Session proposals should list a chairperson and names of all session organizers and panelists, including institutional affiliations and (electronic) addresses. Session proposals should be based on the assumption of 1½-hour time slots with fifteen minutes per presentation. A typical session consists of maximum five papers, one chairperson, and a fifteen-minute open discussion slot. You must have a minimum of three complete paper descriptions in order to submit a session proposal. You can add additional papers to the session up until the submission deadline.

Contact Info

The meeting “home page” is at http://www.4sonline.org/meeting. For information on EASST, visit http://www.easst.net/.

For general meeting information and any questions about the program, contact the Scientific Program Chair, Signe Vikkelsø at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

For technical assistance with the submission or registration process, contact .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).