The Local Configuration of New Research Fields: On Regional and National Diversity (Sociology of the Sciences Yearbook, 29)

This new Yearbook addresses the question of how policy, place, and organization are made to matter for a new research field to emerge. Bringing together leading historians, sociologists, and organizational researchers on science and technology, the volume answers this question by offering in-depth case studies and comparative perspectives on multiple research fields in their nascent stage, including molecular biology and materials science, nanotechnology, and synthetic biology. The Yearbook brings to bear the lessons of constructivist ethnography and the “practice turn” in Science and Technology Studies (STS) more broadly on the qualitative, comparative, and critical inquiry of new research fields. In doing so, it offers unprecedented insights into the complex interplay of national research policies, regional clusters, particular research institutions, and novel research practices in and for any emerging field of (techno-)science. It systematically investigates national and regional differences, including the variable mobilization of such differences, and probes them for organizational topicality and policy relevance. Contents 6 Contributors 8 Chapter 1: Configuring New Research Fields: How Policy, Place, and Organization Are Made to Matter 10 1.1 Introduction 10 1.2 A View Back: From Specialty Studies to Laboratory Studies 11 1.2.1 Development of Scientific Specialties 11 1.2.2 Turning to Practice(s) and the Local in the Study of Science 14 1.3 Recovering Local Configurations of New Research Fields 17 1.4 How Policy, Place, and Organization are Mobilized and Made to Matter 18 1.4.1 Policy: Nationalizing Science 18 1.4.2 Place: Mobilizing Regions 21 1.4.3 Organization: Managing Tensions 23 1.4.4 Mobility: Changing Contexts 26 References 28 Part I: Policy: Nationalizing Science 32 Chapter 2: Hidden in Plain Sight: The Impact of Generic Governance on the Emergence of Research Fields 33 2.1 Introduction 33 2.2 Comparing the Impact of National Governance on the Emergence of New Fields 34 2.2.1 Linking the Emergence of Fields to Governance 35 2.2.2 The Empirical Investigation 37 2.3 Generic Governance Structures in Germany and The Netherlands 38 2.4 Building Protected Space for Changing Research Practices in Two Science Systems 39 2.4.1 An Endless Quest? The First Attempts to Produce BEC 40 2.4.2 The End of the Quest or a New Beginning? Responses to the First Experimental Success 42 2.4.3 New Quests: The Growth of BEC Research Since 1998 45 2.5 Conclusions: Generic Governance and the Diffusion of New Research Practices 48 References 49 Chapter 3: Building Multidisciplinary Research Fields: The Cases of Materials Science, Nanotechnology and Synthetic Biology 52 3.1 Introduction 52 3.2 Interdisciplinarity as a Political Will 54 3.3 From Interdisciplinarity to Convergence 57 3.4 Resilience of Disciplinary Affiliations 61 3.5 Conclusions 63 References 65 Chapter 4: Placing a New Science: Exploring Spatial and Temporal Configurations of Synthetic Biology 68 4.1 Introduction 68 4.2 How to Follow a Science in the Process of Being Placed 69 4.3 Placing Synbio in Time and Among Disciplines 71 4.4 Placing Through Policy-Work: Socio-political Contexts and National Funding Regimes 73 4.5 Placing Synbio in and Through People and Institutions 75 4.6 Creating Places to Observe and Debate Synthetic Biology 77 4.7 Placing Synbio Through Scientific Labour: Publishing and Other Practices 79 4.8 Conclusion 81 References 83 Part II: Place: Mobilizing Regions 85 Chapter 5: The Local Configuration of a Science and Innovation Policy: A City in the Nanoworld 86 5.1 Introduction 86 5.2 Analytical Framework and Method 87 5.2.1 The Literature on Local Concentration of S&T Resources 87 5.2.2 Analytical Framework: Actor-Network, Territory and Narratives 88 5.2.3 Data and Method 89 5.3 The Revival of Former Local Traditions 90 5.3.1 Connecting with the Past and Reactivating the “Local Model” 91 5.3.2 Exploiting a Web of Relations 94 5.4 The Local Emergence of an NST Cluster 94 5.4.1 Translating National Opportunities and Local Dynamics 96 5.4.2 Building New Alliances, Enlisting Dissenting Voices 97 5.4.3 Assembling the Local Research Field 99 5.5 Conclusion 100 References 101 Chapter 6: The Local Articulation of Contextual Resources: From Metallic Glasses to Nanoscale Research 103 6.1 Introduction 103 6.2 Arenas, Contextual Resources, and Resource Relationships 105 6.3 Phase 1: Placing Probe Microscopy 106 6.3.1 “We Have Always Said That We’d Need a Super-Microscope” 107 6.3.2 “We Wanted to Build the Instrument Ourselves” 108 6.3.3 Probe Microscopy in the Life Sciences 109 6.4 Phase 2: Staging Nanoscale Research as an Interdisciplinary Project 110 6.4.1 Extending the Research Focus: “Nano Belongs to All of These Domains” 111 6.4.2 Framing Modes of Cooperation: Interdisciplinarity 112 6.5 Phase 3: Regionalizing Nanoscience 114 6.5.1 “A Promotion of Economy and Location” 114 6.5.2 A Regional Initiative from the University’s Perspective 115 6.6 Conclusions 117 References 119 Chapter 7: Nanodistricts: Between Global Nanotechnology Promises and Local Cluster Dynamics 121 7.1 Introduction 121 7.2 The Global Promises of Nanotechnology 123 7.3 Emerging Local Concentrations of Nanotechnology Activities 124 7.4 Technology Platforms and Technological Agglomeration 128 7.5 Institutional Entrepreneurs and Their Strategies 131 7.6 Conclusion 135 References 135 Part III: Organization: Managing Tensions 138 Chapter 8: Epistemic Politics at Work: National Policy, an Upstate New York Synchrotron, and the Rise of Protein Crystallography 139 8.1 Introduction 139 8.2 Piggybacking on Particle Physics: Birth and Growth of a Hybrid User Support/Instrumentation Development Synchrotron X-ray Laboratory 141 8.3 A Surprising Twist: National Politics and the Death of the Cornell B-Factory 143 8.4 Linking Up: Epistemic Politics as Expression of the Local and Trans-local 147 8.4.1 Diagnosis No. 1: Ion Trapping as Agent-Less Accident 147 8.4.2 Diagnosis No. 2: Ion Trapping as Operator Error 148 8.4.3 Diagnosis No. 3: Ion Trapping as Tuning Effect 149 8.5 Conclusion 151 References 152 Chapter 9: Ecology Reconfigured: Organizational Innovation, Group Dynamics and Scientific Change 154 9.1 Introduction 154 9.2 Conceptual Framework and Methods 155 9.3 The Origins of NCEAS: Commingling Ideas and Policy 156 9.4 Impact 159 9.5 The Structure and Process of NCEAS Research 159 9.5.1 Trust, Solidarity and Escalating Reciprocity 162 9.5.2 Transcending Place 164 9.5.3 Peer Review on the Fly 166 9.5.4 Junior/Senior Interactions 167 9.6 Summary and Conclusion 168 References 170 Chapter 10: Co-producing Social Problems and Scientific Knowledge. Chagas Disease and the Dynamics of Research Fields in Latin America 173 10.1 Introduction 173 10.2 The Co-production of Chagas Disease as a Public and Scientific Problem and the Emergence of New Research Fields 175 10.2.1 Phase 1: From Invisibility to Visibility, the Construction of the Disease 176 10.2.2 Phase 2: From Linear to Exponential Growth, from Private to Public Problem 179 10.2.3 Phase 3: Production of a Vaccine Against Chagas Disease, or the Construction of Fictions Beyond Laboratories 181 10.2.4 Phases 4 and 5: Purification and Internationalization of T. Cruzi 184 10.3 Conclusion: Scientific Success and Social Failure 185 References 189 Part IV: Mobility: Changing Contexts 191 Chapter 11: Patterns of the International and the National, the Global and the Local in the History of Molecular Biology 192 11.1 Introduction 192 11.2 First Phase: 1930–1950 193 11.3 Second Phase: 1950–1970 195 11.4 Third Phase: 1970s to the End of the Millennium 199 11.5 Conclusion 200 References 201 Chapter 12: Recasting the Local and the Global: The Three Lives of Protein Sequencing in Spanish Biomedical Research (1967–1995) 204 12.1 Introduction 204 12.2 First Life: Biochemistry and the Economics of Franco’s Dictatorship 208 12.3 Second Life: Practical vs. Disciplinary Spaces 212 12.4 Protein Sequencing under Pressure: The End of Lives One and Two 215 12.5 Third Life: From Protein to DNA Sequencing 220 12.6 Conclusions 222 References 225 Chapter 13: Practicing Innovation: Mobile Nano-training, Emerging Tensions, and Prospective Arrangements 228 13.1 Introduction 228 13.2 Reflexive Ethno-inquiry of Mobile Nano-training: Methodology, Setting, and Research Design 229 13.3 Promising and Practicing Innovation: Mobile Nano-­training in Action 231 13.3.1 Preparing the Project: Articulating Local Resources and Global Vistas 232 13.3.1.1 The Top-Down Mentor Arrangement 232 13.3.1.2 The Bottom-up Shop Floor Arrangement 233 13.3.2 Conducting the Project: Articulating Initial Plans and Actual Experiments 234 13.3.2.1 The “Correspondence Problem” Dealt with and Disposed of in Conversation 234 13.3.2.2 Contrasting Arrangements: System Calibration Versus Technical Training 236 13.3.3 Accounting for the Project: Articulating Career Opportunities and Institutional Expectancies 238 13.3.3.1 The Highbrow Long-Term Arrangement 239 13.3.3.2 The Low Key Short-Term Arrangement 240 13.4 Conclusion: Principal Results and Broader Implications 241 13.5 Appendix 244 References 244 This New Yearbook Addresses The Question Of How Policy, Place, And Organization Are Made To Matter For A New Research Field To Emerge. Bringing Together Leading Historians, Sociologists, And Organizational Researchers On Science And Technology, The Volume Answers This Question By Offering In-depth Case Studies And Comparative Perspectives On Multiple Research Fields In Their Nascent Stage, Including Molecular Biology And Materials Science, Nanotechnology And Synthetic Biology. The Yearbook Brings To Bear The Lessons Of Constructivist Ethnography And The Practice Turn In Science And Technology Studies (sts) More Broadly On The Qualitative, Comparative And Critical Inquiry Of New Research Fields. In Doing So, It Offers Unprecedented Insights Into The Complex Interplay Of National Research Policies, Regional Clusters, Particular Research Institutions, And Novel Research Practices In And For Any Emerging Field Of (techno-) Science. It Systematically Investigates National And Regional Differences, And Probes Them For Organizational Topicality And Policy Relevance. Chapter 1: Configuring New Research Fields: How Policy, Place, And Organization Are Made To Matter; Martina Merz And Philippe Sormani -- Part I: Policy: Nationalizing Science -- Chapter 2: Hidden In Plain Sight: The Impact Of Generic Governance On The Emergence Of Research Fields; Jochen Gläser, Grit Laudel And Eric Lettkemann -- Chapter 3: Building Multidisciplinary Research Fields: The Cases Of Materials Science, Nanotechnology And Synthetic Biology; Bernadette Bensaude-vincent -- Chapter 4: Placing A New Science: Exploring Spatial And Temporal Configurations Of Synthetic Biology; Morgan Meyer And Susan Molyneux-hodgson -- Part Ii: Place: Mobilizing Regions -- Chapter 5: The Local Configuration Of A Science And Innovation Policy: A City In The Nanoworld; Dominique Vinck -- Chapter 6: The Local Articulation Of Contextual Resources: From Metallic Glasses To Nanoscale Research; Martina Merz And Peter Biniok --^ Chapter 7: Nanodistricts: Between Global Nanotechnology Promises And Local Cluster Dynamics; Douglas Robinson, Arie Rip, And Aurélie Delemarle -- Part Iii: Organization: Managing Tensions -- Chapter 8: Epistemic Politics At Work: National Policy, An Upstate New York Synchrotron, And The Rise Of Protein Crystallography; Park Doing -- Chapter 9: Ecology Reconfigured: Organizational Innovation, Group Dynamics And Scientific Change; Edward J. Hackett And John N. Parker -- Chapter 10: Social/local Problems, Scientific/universal Problems And The Dynamics Of Research Fields: A View From Latin America; Pablo Kreimer -- Part Iv: Mobility: Transgressing Contexts -- Chapter 11: Patterns Of The International And The National, The Global And The Local In The History Of Molecular Biology; Hans-jörg Rheinberger -- Chapter 12: Recasting The Local And The Global: The Three Lives Of Protein Sequencing In Spanish Biomedical Research (1967-1995); Miguel García-sancho --^ Chapter 13: Practicing Innovation: Mobile Nano-training, Emerging Tensions, And Prospective Arrangements; Philippe Sormani. Martina Merz, Philippe Sormani, Editors. Includes Bibliographical References. Front Matter....Pages i-viii Configuring New Research Fields: How Policy, Place, and Organization Are Made to Matter....Pages 1-22 Front Matter....Pages 23-23 Hidden in Plain Sight: The Impact of Generic Governance on the Emergence of Research Fields....Pages 25-43 Building Multidisciplinary Research Fields: The Cases of Materials Science, Nanotechnology and Synthetic Biology....Pages 45-60 Placing a New Science: Exploring Spatial and Temporal Configurations of Synthetic Biology....Pages 61-77 Front Matter....Pages 79-79 The Local Configuration of a Science and Innovation Policy: A City in the Nanoworld....Pages 81-97 The Local Articulation of Contextual Resources: From Metallic Glasses to Nanoscale Research....Pages 99-116 Nanodistricts: Between Global Nanotechnology Promises and Local Cluster Dynamics....Pages 117-133 Front Matter....Pages 135-135 Epistemic Politics at Work: National Policy, an Upstate New York Synchrotron, and the Rise of Protein Crystallography....Pages 137-151 Ecology Reconfigured: Organizational Innovation, Group Dynamics and Scientific Change....Pages 153-171 Co-producing Social Problems and Scientific Knowledge. Chagas Disease and the Dynamics of Research Fields in Latin America....Pages 173-190 Front Matter....Pages 191-191 Patterns of the International and the National, the Global and the Local in the History of Molecular Biology....Pages 193-204 Recasting the Local and the Global: The Three Lives of Protein Sequencing in Spanish Biomedical Research (1967–1995)....Pages 205-228 Practicing Innovation: Mobile Nano-training, Emerging Tensions, and Prospective Arrangements....Pages 229-247 This new Yearbook addresses the question of how policy, place, and organization are made to matter for a new research field to emerge. Bringing together leading historians, sociologists, and organizational researchers on science and technology, the volume answers this question by offering in-depth case studies and comparative perspectives on multiple research fields in their nascent stage, including molecular biology and materials science, nanotechnology, and synthetic biology. The Yearbook brings to bear the lessons of constructivist ethnography and the "practice turn" in Science and Technology Studies (STS) more broadly on the qualitative, comparative, and critical inquiry of new research fields. In doing so, it offers unprecedented insights into the complex interplay of national research policies, regional clusters, particular research institutions, and novel research practices in and for any emerging field of (techno- )science. It systematically investigates national and regional differences, including the variable mobilization of such differences, and probes them for organizational topicality and policy relevance