Dear colleagues and friends,
I am pleased to share the CfP for my open panel, “Children as Active
Agents in STS: Participatory Approaches and Beyond,” which will take
place during the 4S Annual Meeting 2025 in Seattle, Washington,
celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Society for Social Studies of
Science.
The deadline for submissions is January 31, 2025. Abstracts are
welcome and can be submitted through the 4S platform:
https://www.4sonline.org/call_for_submissions_seattle.php
Panel number: 153
Below, you will find the detailed panel description. Please feel free to
contact me with any questions or ideas!
Best wishes,
Melike
-
Children as Active Agents in STS: Participatory Approaches and Beyond
Short Abstract
Children are gaining recognition in STS as active agents who contribute
in the shaping Science & Technology (S&T) that affect their lives. The
panel will focus on the role of children in participatory approaches. It
will highlight their involvement as co-creators, contributors,
evaluators, but also experts in different contexts of S&T. In line with
the conference theme “/Reverberations/,” this panel will explore how
children’s agency is embedded in landscapes of S&T, reshaping
socio-technical systems and challenging traditional hierarchies and
notions of expertise. This recognition of children’s agency also
transforms concepts of inclusion and innovation. Contributions may focus
on empirical case studies, methodological insights and theoretical
reflections that emphasize the transformative potential of children’s
engagement in Science, Technology and Society.
Long Abstract
The theme of “/Reverberations/” invites us to reflect on how actions,
ideas and practices reverberate across temporal, spatial and conceptual
boundaries. Children’s active participation in S&T exemplifies this
dynamics. Children are no longer recognized as passive users of
technology, but increasingly as co-creators and contributors. Their
participation cuts across societal and disciplinary boundaries and
creates new notions of agency, inclusion and innovation.
This panel explores the transformative potential of children’s agency in
participatory STS and Technology Assessment (TA). It invites papers
exploring how children’s engagement in co-design, adaptation and
assessment (re)shapes our understanding of socio-technical systems and
imaginaries. Case studies dealing with, for example, technologies used
in the fields of health, gaming, education, sports, etc. will
demonstrate how children’s agency influences design processes, moving
beyond symbolic participation and promoting inclusivity.
The panel also addresses methodological and theoretical questions:
- What approaches enable meaningful participation?
- How do children’s contributions reconfigure boundaries of expertise
and authority in STS?
- How do their voices amplify underrepresented perspectives and
influence policy, practice, and theory?
Contributions from academics and practitioners offering insights from
interdisciplinary, methodological, and theoretical perspectives are
welcome. This panel aims to foreground how children’s agency resonates,
emphasizing their critical role in shaping socio-technical futures and
imaginaries.
Papers are welcome on:
- innovative participatory methodologies involving children in
technology and science
- case studies showcasing children’s engagement in co-design,
customization, or decision-making theoretical reflections on
children’s agency within socio-technical landscapes
- insights into how children’s participation challenges traditional
hierarchies in knowledge production
- ethical considerations and best practices for including children in
participatory research
Artistic contributions, such as performances, installations, etc.,
that explore children’s agency, participation, and influence in S&T are
also warmly encouraged.
--
Dr. Melike Şahinol
webhttps://melikesahinol.com/
ORCIDhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-2914-2489
Latest book: Science, technology and society for a post-truth age: Comparative
dialogues on reflexivity (Vernon Press, 2024)
Available at 24% discount (using code CFC96266E8A8 on
checkout):https://vernonpress.com/book/1868
or on
Amazon:https://www.amazon.com/Science-technology-society-post-truth-age/dp/16
48897886/
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