East Asia

Discovering Distinctive East Asian STS: An Introduction

Ruey-Lin Chen introduces the 2011 special issue of EASTS that asks whether and how East Asian STS might be distinctive from STS practiced in the West.Read more

The History of Japanese Science: Recent Developments

Low provides a brief overview of the state of the field of history of science in Japan, and of the history of Japan abroad. Focusing on key figures and institutional resources, Low concludes that though there are promising developments in the history of science, there "less positive signs" for...Read more

Work in Progress: Proposal for Comparative Studies on East Asia

The authors of this article use bibliometric techniques to analyze the prevalence of specific themes and approaches in the Journal of Science and Technology Studies (Kagaku Gijutsu Shakai-ron Kenkyū) and East Asian Science, Technology and Society.  

STS in Japan and East Asia: Governance of Science and Technology and Public Engagement

This 2009 article by Yuko Fujigaki describes the development of Japanese STS from the 1980s up to the planning processes for the 2010 4S Meeting in Tokyo. The article also focuses on analyzing historical case studies (Minamata disease, itai-itai disease, the Monju nuclear power plant incidents)...Read more

The Butterfly and the Frigate: Social Studies of Science in Japan

In this 1989 "Country Report," Low argues that "despite some exceptions, much of the stimulating work on Japanese science has come from outside the country."  (313) Low explains that literature in Japan on Japanese science serves to mystify science and perpetuate stereotypical banaries such as "...Read more

Introduction (2): Japanese STS in Global, East Asian, and Local Contexts

This article introduces the second set of papers on the state of the social studies of science in Japan that emerged from a March 2009 workshop on Asian STS held at the National University of Singapore. Read more

Introduction (1): Japanese STS in Global, East Asian, and Local Contexts

This article by Togo Tsukahara introduces a set of articles published in East Asian Science, Technology and Society in 2009, and asks what constitutes "Asian STS" broadly and Japanese STS specifically. These articles are products of the workshop "Toward a Trans-Asian...Read more

Where is East Asia in STS?

Wen-yuan Lin and John Law review how to characterize STS in East Asia, keeping in mind colonial and geographic narratives, as well as the push for singular STS directions.Read more

We Have Never Been Latecomers!?: Making Knowledge Spaces for East Asian Technosocial Practices

Wen-yuan Lin and John Law argue in this 2015 article that to highlight practices from East Asia or other locations is possible but problematic because emphasis on locality surfaces histories of area studies and evolutionary narratives.Read more

East Asian STS: Some Critical Issues

This 2007 article by Sungook Hong responds to and elaborates on Professor Fu Daiwie’s article on East Asian STS.Read more

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