Science and Democracy Network
21st Annual Meeting
July 27-30, 2022
Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
Abstract Deadline: April 30, 2022
Call for Abstracts
The SDN Annual Meeting invites abstracts (up to 300 words) on a theme appropriate for the Network. The closing date for abstract submissions is April 30, 2022. Please submit your abstract via the online form. Direct any questions to Emily Neill at erneill@hks.harvard.edu.
Accepted presenters will be notified around May 15. If your abstract is accepted, you will be expected to provide a final paper for circulation to other workshop participants no later than July 1. Please keep this date in mind as you respond to the call for abstracts. More details will be announced in coming weeks.
The conference will be organized around the following major themes, with priority given to work that effectively integrates issues of political and epistemic authority:
- Institutions: Role of governmental and non-governmental institutions in producing, using, disseminating or contesting authoritative knowledge; institutions with claims to epistemic authority include NGOs, corporations, international governmental organizations, scientific institutions, the state and its agencies.
- Citizenship and Participation: Forms and modes of citizen mobilization and expression around scientific or technological issues, including (new) social movements, new forms of participation, consumer activism, patient groups, indigenous peoples, and “liminal citizens” (endangered species, animals, embryos, and stem cells, for example).
- Communication and Representation: Intersection between political and expert or professional discourses; role of mass media in presenting science, with particular interest in visual representation; political implications of information and communication technologies, databases, identification technologies, etc.
We expect to accept between 24-30 abstracts. Special preference will be given to abstracts from people who did not present last year, but no abstracts will be excluded from consideration.
Panel and Round Table Submissions
As in prior years, we will accept proposals for panels of 3-4 papers on topics of broad and immediate relevance for science and democracy. Such proposals must meet high standards of theoretical significance and/or political or policy salience. Please note that, to ensure widest participation, only one panel proposal can be accommodated in the final program.
Proposals for roundtables on current issues of concern to SDN members are most welcome. The program may be able to accommodate one such panel (60-90 minutes) provided it is sufficiently significant and inclusive. Panelists need not present formal papers but should represent a breadth of research experiences and institutional affiliations.
Graduate Students: Combine SDN with the STS Summer School!
This year’s SDN annual meeting will be held immediately following the STS Summer School @ Harvard. The Summer School is an opportunity for doctoral students, postdoctoral researchers and young professionals to gain intensive training in STS concepts and methods. Running from July 23-27, the school will end just before SDN begins, and is also held at Harvard. Applications are due April 15, 2022.
Graduate travel fund
For graduate students who are not part of the Summer School, limited travel funds may be available for those with demonstrated needs. If you are a graduate student looking for a travel stipend, please check the appropriate box on your abstract submission form.