Science and Democracy Network 25th Annual Meeting
June 11-13, 2026
Research Institute for Sustainability | at GFZ
Potsdam, Germany
Call for Abstracts
The conference organizers invite abstracts (300 words max) on a theme relevant to the relations of science and technology with politics, policy, and expertise (see below). We also accept proposals for panels and roundtables on the themes of the event. The closing date for abstract and proposal submissions is April 1, 2026. We will make decisions on which abstracts to accept within a month of that date.
Precirculated papers are a defining feature of SDN. If your abstract is accepted, you will be expected to produce a final paper for circulation to other workshop participants no later than May 25, 2026. Please keep this date in mind as you respond to the call for abstracts.
About SDN
The SDN is organized around the following major themes:
Institutions and Epistemic Authority: Role of governmental and non-governmental institutions in producing, using, disseminating or contesting authoritative knowledge (institutions with claims to epistemic authority include universities, NGOs, corporations, social media platforms, international governmental organizations, scientific institutions, the state and its agencies).
Democracy and Participation: Forms and modes of mobilization and contestation around scientific or technological issues, including digital identities and governance, consumer and patient activism, indigenous knowledge, and “liminal citizens” (e.g., endangered species, animals, embryos, stem cells, and data subjects).
Politics of Expertise: Intersection between political and expert or professional discourses; role of social media and visual technologies in authorizing scientific claims; cultural and political implications of digitization (e.g., spread of AI, biometric and surveillance technologies, digital doubles, etc.)
The conference aims to highlight work that effectively integrates issues of political and epistemic authority, is comparative in nature or addresses the governance of science and technology. It will also include roundtables on current issues of relevance to SDN members, for example, reflecting on recent political developments challenging expert knowledge, transnational mobility, and institutions of higher education.
This meeting was organized with the generous support of:
