Cultural Studies of Science and Science Policy Making

Scientific and scholarly research is not merely a supplier of facts, let alone of mere truths. Ideas of indifference, of value neutrality and the pursuit of knowledge for its own ends are indeed central to a definition of scientific knowledge. However, such a definition needs to be thought together with changing perceptions of necessity and practicality. In addition, the theory, history, and sociology of science have been able to show that science does not emerge and persist in isolation. Rather, it is strongly intertwined with the historically and socially specific circumstances of the respective production of knowledge, which is labeled science.

At the Institute for Advanced Study in the Humanities (KWI), it is our understanding that the classic disciplines of academic research can be enriched by approaches and methods from the Humanities, including Cultural Studies. This way, aspects of media, language, rhetoric, as well as symbolic and performative aspects gain relevance. What is the role of archiving and recording with regard to the dispersion and passing on of scientific knowledge; in how far do forms of publication change? What are the means of illustrating, demonstrating, and proving to inform and convince peers and laymen? What are the sources from which information about these changes may be retrieved, and how can these be displayed if they no longer follow linear courses? How can we describe the many non-verbal and implicit aspects which also determine the way in which science is practised, rehearsed, performed, and rewarded? And finally, is it useful to talk about scientific cultures, and if so, how can they be substantiated historically and systematically? It is our aim at the KWI to pursue these questions in order to complement various approaches of academic research. The investigation of the sciences with the help of the methodologies of cultural studies is able to contribute historical and comparative perspectives to debates on the politics of sciences and on science policy making.