From Grand and Middle-Range Theories to Theorizing in STS: Introducing a Latin American Journey
摘要
This book presents Latin American perspectives on theorizing within the field of Science and Technology Studies (STS), emphasizing the region’s efforts to address epistemic asymmetries. Authors critically engage with the Eurocentric dominance in theoretical frameworks, often inadequate or incomplete for understanding phenomena rooted in (semi)peripheral contexts. These are shaped by their entanglement with global science and technology development and by relations of subordination or marginalization. Understanding neglected dimensions of global science and technology requires the production, visibility, and engagement with theories emerging from outside the dominant centers of the field. However, theorizing from the margins presents significant challenges, stemming from institutional, linguistic, and scientific dynamics. Some contributions in this volume aim to elucidate broad phenomena, while others represent incremental theorizations through the hybridization of global and local conceptual frameworks. The book explores local and global issues, including infrastructure studies, biomedicalization, cognitive capitalism, and innovation in marginalized contexts. These analyses draw upon feminist, postcolonial, and participatory action research traditions, showcasing the conceptual creativity of Latin American scholars. Thus, the book expands the STS field, fostering meaningful dialogues between the global North and South while providing new conceptual tools to better understand science and technology within their specific socio-political and historical contexts.