<br><font size=3 face="Calibri"><b>CALL FOR ABSTRACTS </b></font>
<br>
<br><font size=3 face="Calibri"><b>ASIA-PACIFIC SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND
SOCIETY NETWORK (APSTSN) SESSIONS, </b></font>
<br><font size=3 face="Calibri"><b>4S 2010 ANNUAL MEETING, UNIVERSITY OF
TOKYO, 25-29 AUGUST </b></font>
<br>
<br><font size=3 face="Calibri">We invite you to submit an abstract (no
longer than 500 words) for one of the three sessions the Asia-Pacific Science,
Technology and Society Network (APSTSN) is submitting to the 4S conference
“STS in Global Contexts” that we are submitting as an informal panel.
The three sessions are informed by a common theme: </font>
<br>
<p><font size=3 face="Symbol">· </font><font size=3 face="Calibri"><i>Engaging
publics/engaging technoscience in the Asia-Pacific region I: environmental
sustainability transitions</i> </font>
<p><font size=3 face="Calibri">Chairs: Richard Hindmarsh (Griffith University,
Australia) and Wen-ling Tu, Shih-Hsin University, Taiwan)</font>
<p><font size=3 face="Symbol">· </font><font size=3 face="Calibri"><i>Engaging
publics/engaging technoscience in the Asia-Pacific region II: Indigenous
knowledge</i> </font>
<p><font size=3 face="Calibri">Nominal Chair: Jessica Hutchings (New Zealand
Council of Educational Research)</font>
<p><font size=3 face="Symbol">· </font><font size=3 face="Calibri"><i>Engaging
publics/engaging technoscience in the Asia-Pacific region III: techno-life
sciences </i></font>
<p><font size=3 face="Calibri">Chairs: Tomiko Yamaguchi (International
Christian University, Tokyo) and Karen Cronin (Environmental Science and
Research, New Zealand)</font>
<br>
<br><font size=3 face="Calibri">These themes align to the four most popular
themes at the recent successful APSTSN inaugural conference in Brisbane:
governance and citizenship, environment, Indigenous and techno-life sciences
(</font><font size=2 face="Calibri">see: </font><a href=http://www.griffith.edu.au/apsts2009><font size=2 color=blue face="Calibri"><u>http://www.griffith.edu.au/apsts2009</u></font></a><font size=2 face="Calibri">).</font>
<br>
<br><font size=3 face="Calibri">The blurb for the three sessions is below:
typically each 4S 1.5 hour session is one and a half hours long comprising
4 papers (15 minute presentation each) followed by a 30 minute discussion.</font>
<br>
<br><font size=3 face="Calibri"><b>Abstract Submission</b></font>
<br>
<br><font size=3 face="Calibri">Abstracts should be 500 words or less and
include your institutional affiliation/s and (electronic) addresses, and
cohere to the common theme (detail below) and one of the 3 topics above.
</font>
<br>
<br><font size=3 face="Calibri">Your abstract should be submitted to Richard
Hindmarsh (</font><a href=mailto:r.hindmarsh@griffith.edu.au><font size=3 color=blue face="Calibri"><u>r.hindmarsh@griffith.edu.au</u></font></a><font size=3 face="Calibri">)
as the first point of contact by the <b><i>22 January 2010</i></b> so that
we can select the most appropriate abstracts that offer the best coherency
and cultural diversity for each session, so that we can detect differences
and similarities across the states in the Asia-Pacific region: a central
thrust of the APSTSN. If it is the case that we receive enough abstracts
for extra sessions in each topic we will approach the 4S organisers for
extra sessions, otherwise we will encourage the ones not selected for the
APSTSN sessions to be submitted as papers for open sessions.</font>
<br>
<br><font size=3 face="Calibri"><b>Invite for chair/s of Indigenous session</b></font>
<br>
<br><font size=3 face="Calibri">With Jessica Hutchings volunteering to
be the nominal chair out of interest and also in order to get things underway
(thanks Jessica), we also invite 1-2 Indigenous chairs for the Indigenous
Knowledges session. Please advise if you are willing to fill this position
</font>
<br>
<br><font size=3 face="Calibri">(NB participants at 4S conferences can
only fulfil 2 roles at the conference, eg a session chair and a presenter
but not 2 papers). Please note there is also a workshop format if the Indigenous
chairs want to choose this option in preference to papers (see: </font><a href=http://www.4sonline.org/meeting.htm><font size=3 face="Calibri">http://www.4sonline.org/meeting.htm</font></a><font size=3 face="Calibri">)</font>
<br>
<br>
<br><font size=3 face="Calibri"><b>Summary of APSTSN sessions</b></font>
<br>
<br><font size=3 face="Calibri"><b>Theme: Engaging publics/engaging technoscience
in the Asia-Pacific region </b></font>
<div>
<br>
<br><font size=3 face="Calibri"><u>Summary</u></font>
<br><font size=3 face="Calibri">Emergent technosciences governance requires
the development of new practices, different institutional arrangements,
new networks and forms of public participation, and novel management of
risk and innovative communication about technoscientific innovation. This
session will explore strategies for engaging publics in technosciences
innovation and governance and the understandings that inform those strategies
in the Asia-Pacific region (that is, countries of Australasia, East Asia,
SE Asia and Oceania). </font>
<br>
<br><font size=3 face="Calibri">The three APSTSN sessions address the themes
of environmental sustainability transitions (session I), indigenous knowledges
(session II), and techno-life sciences (session III). Papers that provide
critical analysis of engagement strategies across technical/non-technical
boundaries and the way these boundaries are confounded and reworked in
particular contexts are particularly encouraged. In that analysis, the
papers should also reflect on the limitations of, or constraints to, inclusive
participatory approaches, reasons behind it, and on how public engagement
in decision-making might be enhanced in/for the future. Central questions
informing the session include: What are the particular challenges that
we face in the Asia-Pacific region? What changing or new practices of technoscience
governance are emerging and how effective might they be? What is the role
of government and/or the role of civil society in technoscience governance?
Do current developments suggest ‘public talk’ or a genuine move towards
a paradigm shift in governance, and what are the implications of either?
What trajectories of participatory governance might contribute to better
civic involvement in policy steering and result in better policy outcomes?</font>
<br>
<br><font size=3 face="Calibri"><u>Rationale</u></font>
<br><font size=3 face="Calibri">Unique and complex technoscientific issues
have created formidable social challenges for the future. For all their
promise, technoscience innovations are immersed in controversy, public
distrust, complexity, and scientific and social uncertainty, for example,
GM crops, nanotechnology, hard water management approaches, wind energy,
stem-cell research, neurosciences, cloning, tissue engineering, and so
forth. The speed at which new developments demand attention is accelerating.
These sessions address these important issues and social controversies
for technoscientific governance which is an important area now being widely
addressed by STS scholars, and aligns especially to the following key themes
of the 4S conference: public engagement/social movement and science, technology,
and public policy. </font>
<br>
<br>
<br><font size=3 face="Calibri"><u>Contribution to STS</u></font>
<br><font size=3 face="Calibri">These sessions contribute to a key STS
issue: technosciences and their governance at a pivotal time when the ground
rules that connect citizens to the state are up for revision and reformulation,
and when experiments with technoscience/society dialogue are available
for critical analysis. In addition, the session highlights the Asia-Pacific
region as a new focus of inquiry that departs from the usual focus on the
US and Europe. The Asia-Pacific is an emergent and important area in world
politics, trade, and technoscience development and because of its diverse
cultures (non-indigenous/indigenous) and socio-political contexts offers
a valuable ‘point of difference’ (or ‘politics of differences’) for
discussion on and insights in a contested localising-globalising world
where technosciences are convergent.</font>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br><font size=3 face="Calibri">Finally, we will be having an APSTSN business
session near the end of the meeting and a separate conference dinner to
that of 4S which will be self-funded at the selected restaurant on the
night. We look forward to your participation.</font>
<br>
<br><font size=3 face="Calibri">Best</font>
<br><font size=3 face="Calibri"><i>Tomiko Yamaguchi</i> (APSTS Network
Co-convenor and event organiser) </font>
<br><font size=3 face="Calibri"><i>Richard Hindmarsh</i> (APSTS Network
Convenor) </font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</font>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">Note: we apologise if you have received
this email more than once, or do not want to receive email news form the
Asia-Pacific STS Network. Please advise us of the latter.<br>
</font></div>