Dear colleagues,
<br>
<br>
<br>We're pleased to invite paper abstracts for our open panel, "Something from
<br>nothing: exploring non-discovery and negative claims" (#94), at this year's
<br>Annual Meeting of the Society for Social Studies of Science (4s) in Sydney, 29
<br>August - 1 September 2018.
<br>
<br>Abstract:
<br>Discovery claims dominate popular imaginations of progress and innovation in
<br>science. How such claims are assembled from mundane practices and situated in
<br>complex historical and material conditions has been a long-standing interest
<br>of STS research. One insight is that much of the day-to-day work of
<br>researchers is directed towards establishing 'negative knowledge' i.e. the
<br>limits of knowledge as a precondition for positive claims (Knorr-Cetina,
<br>1999).
<br>
<br>Building on these insights, we would like to explore 'negative claims', i.e.
<br>assertions of non-existence or the exclusion of (expected) results. Negative
<br>claims are not only 'by-products' of research, but can be conceived as
<br>transformative. Both 'successful' episodes (such as, the claim that humans do
<br>not behave according to the predictions of rational choice models) and
<br>'unsuccessful' episodes (such as, a shift in research strategies in
<br>high-energy physics following a potential new particle turning into a
<br>statistical fluke) illustrate the transformations of knowledge and practices
<br>following negative claims.
<br>
<br>After a discovery claim is established, the world is reported to be different;
<br>in contrast, when you lose something you never had, seemingly nothing has
<br>changed. We suggest the exploration of the question 'what has changed' from a
<br>different angle, based on the observation that negative claims often violate
<br>expectations and thus need to be accommodated practically and conceptually. In
<br>this panel, we invite contributions that explore negative claims, broadly
<br>construed. We are looking for case studies from all fields of research and
<br>conceptual contributions that engage with the various ways in which the
<br>'negative' is transformative.
<br>
<br>
<br>Convenors: Helene Sorgner, Alpen-Adria-Universitt Klagenfurt (Austria);
<br>Sophie Ritson, Alpen-Adria-Universitt Klagenfurt (Austria)
<br>
<br>To submit abstracts of up to 250 words please follow this link:
<br>https://4s2018sydney.org/accepted-open-panels-4s/
<br>
<br>Deadline 1st February 2018.
<br>
<br>Looking forward to hearing from you,
<br>
<br>Helene and Sophie
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