Science and Development

This book explores the constitution and growth of scientific communities and the status of scientific potential in the countries of the South. This subject, for a number of reasons, has received only marginal attention in the field of STS studies.[ Despite the growing critical perspectives over modern S&T, it continues to occupy an instrumental role in the development agendas of developing countries which are relentlessly striving towards modernization and industrialization. The unprecedented wealth, standards of living, and comforts in transportation, recreation and communication made possible by the factors of S&T stand to inspire the ruling elites in the South. Much of the S&T potential in these countries, which we term as industrially developed, is constituted directly or indirectly by the efficient organization and functioning of their professionalized scientific and technical communities. Even though the real potential of S&T is enmeshed with socio-economic, political and other aspects, it is difficult to deny the centrality of the role played by S&T communities in the overall development process. Even a cursory look into the role of science in the South in relation to the North necessitates some degree of attention t o the historical processes and to the relations established with the North.

2007

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1996

e live in a new era. One could almost talk about a new civilization emerging, W the global market civilization. The global market has its own characteristics. It is being formed around a number of cities around the world, which provide the key ingredients: technology, finance, information, and people. Some two hundred million people are today living in or around the urban centers which dominate the new global economy. They belong to the groups of people that are the likely winners of globalization. At the same time, there is a great risk that strong market forces will marginalize parts of the world's population-those who are not integrated into this new global economy. One salient feature of the new economy is the importance of knowledge. We have always lived in a knowledge society. The difference today is the revolutionary pace at which technologies change. In the early parts of this century it was estimated that the volume of knowledge in society doubled every fifty years. Today it happens in five years. One important characteristic of the new technologies-particularly in combination-is the potential for wealth creation. Hence, we are already witnessing rapidly widening gaps in wealth and income between the "knowledge workers" and the rest of society. Knowledge is power, today more than ever before. The formidable chal

This book explores the constitution and growth of scientific communities and the status of scientific potential in the countries of the South. This subject, for a number of reasons, has received only marginal attention in the field of STS studies.[ Despite the growing critical perspectives over modern S&T, it continues to occupy an instrumental role in the development agendas of developing countries which are relentlessly striving towards modernization and industrialization. The unprecedented wealth, standards of living, and comforts in transportation, recreation and communication made possible by the factors of S&T stand to inspire the ruling elites in the South. Much of the S&T potential in these countries, which we term as industrially developed, is constituted directly or indirectly by the efficient organization and functioning of their professionalized scientific and technical communities. Even though the real potential of S&T is enmeshed with socio-economic, political and other aspects, it is difficult to deny the centrality of the role played by S&T communities in the overall development process. Even a cursory look into the role of science in the South in relation to the North necessitates some degree of attention t o the historical processes and to the relations established with the North.

Economic and Political Weekly, 2017

A serious engagement with science and technology and the trajectories of its progress must inform our understanding of economic growth, development, and what we consider a modern life.

NTM Zeitschrift für Geschichte der Wissenschaften, Technik und Medizin / Journal of the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine, 2018

Ever since the early 1960s, the United Nations has acknowledged science and technology as integral components of developmental policies. While this connection was initially perceived as the application of findings from scientific research conducted in the Global North, by the 1970s, in the context of negotiations for a New International Economic Order, attention shifted towards the structures of the global management of science. Accordingly in 1979 the UN Conference on Science and Technology for Development discussed possibilities of strengthening scientific and technological research and teaching, particularly in developing countries. During subsequent negotiations conflicts erupted over the question of how to finance programs supporting science. When the G-77 nations presented plans involving automatic financing schemes, these concepts proved incompatible with the insistence of important industrialized countries that all financial contributions should be voluntary. These discussions appeared to be concerned with the size of financial contributions. In a larger perspective, however, they reflected fundamentally different concepts of a world order, turning science and technology into a medium for far-reaching debates about questions of global development and justice. Abstract 1

Journal of International Development, 2008

The links between science, society and development are attracting research and policy attention as never before. Rapid advances in science and technology, whether in the fields of health, agriculture, information and communication, industrial production or environment offer, it seems, an array of new promises and opportunities in meeting development challenges. As we approach the end of the new Millennium's first decade, 'science, technology and development' have become a firmly embedded part of the international scene, attracting the attention of donors, intergovernmental and ministerial initiatives, NGOs and business corporations alike. This editorial for our special issue reflects on the fact that the emerging relationships between science, technology and processes of social change are providing a fertile field for analysts and practitioners engaged in the diversity of what we might define as 'development studies', yet also challenge them to engage more effectively with complex dynamics and multiple knowledges.

1997

Economic and Political Weekly, 1998

It is precisely the critical dimension of science movements in India which has been silenced by the new critiques of science, Modern science has been given a middle name-'westen'-which casts a long shadow of doubt on its validity and usefulness. There are three basic issues which are basic to the understanding of Indian science 'wars': one, the flawed logic of treating the criteria of validity of all knowledge as internal to the cultural context; two, the location of postcolonial intellectuals in the transnational academic networks that have given epistemological anti-imperialism so much respectability, and finally, the necessity of a scientific worldview for the advancement of equality and justice for all.

The fact that the humanities and social sciences in developing societies generally originated in the West has raised the issue of the relevance of these arts and sciences to the needs and problems of Third World societies. This questioning of relevance has led, in turn, to the call for the indigenisation of knowledge in developing societies. While there has been a great deal of discussion on indigenisation, there has been little practice of indigenised humanities and social science. As a result, there are few examples of what indigenous knowledge constitutes from theoretical, methodological and empirical points of view. This paper is directed towards arriving at some conception of what indigenised knowledge is, the various forms that it takes, and its rationale.