Yogita Suresh
The Science and Technology Studies India Network (STS-IN) organized a meetup titled “Pathways to STS in South Asia: Where We Come from and Where We Can Go.” This event took place at the annual EASST-4S (European Association for the Study of Science and Technology–Society for Social Studies of Science) Conference, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam 2024. The meetup sought to unite diverse scholars engaged in the South Asian STS context to explore opportunities for future collaborations and network building.
We received an overwhelming audience of 50 scholars, who shared their opinions on positioning one’s work in “South Asia” and navigating STS theory, fieldwork, and philosophy from a non-Western lens.
The meetup began with brief introductions from STS-IN members, who set the agenda for the next hour. We presented the work of STS-IN in its brief history of six months, which included reading groups, writing workshops, and the upcoming conference in 2025, among other activities. As STS-IN members, we introduced six broad questions on building an STS South Asia Network for discussion:
- How do analytics, conceptual frames, and shared histories from the region shape STS in/about South Asia?
- Can we even initiate the conversation about South Asian network building?
- What are the experiences and consequences of doing STS in non-STS departments?
- What is it like to do STS outside of South Asia and from South Asia?
- Is such a network valuable? If yes, how?
- How can we foster collaborations?
Reflections from the Audience
We went around the room, learning everyone’s names, their work, the country/context in which they work, and their thoughts and responses to the six questions.
There was a consensus on the need for a larger South Asian STS network where members can share reading material, funding opportunities, seek help navigating complicated field sites in different countries, and build a community for theory building in South Asia. One key point of discussion was how to build a more diverse South Asian Network that is not largely dominated by scholars from India, as has been the case in past meetings. In other words, we discussed how to build an STS South Asian Network beyond India. We explored ways to open the space, approach different geographical contexts thematically, and gain access to scientific and technical institutions in these regions. Scholars from Sri Lanka and Nepal reflected on the lack of an STS space in their contexts and discussed possibilities for an inclusive integration of experiences, theory, and databases.
We pondered two critical questions: how do we identify ourselves as South Asian scholars, and what forms of boundary work can we consider in this exercise? Secondly, how do we identify ourselves as STS scholars, especially in countries that do not have departments/schools dedicated to the study of STS? We explored concepts of interdisciplinary and geographical boundary work in discussing these questions. Although these are significant questions that cannot be answered in one hour, It was valuable in laying the foundation for long-term discussions.
Other suggestions for the network included viewing it as a “care group” that supports scholars transitioning research themes or field sites and helps them connect with others working on similar topics. Graduate students expressed their need for an organized knowledge-producing and knowledge-sharing network that can provide mentorship and reading/writing workshops.
Lastly, we discussed the incompatibility of some existing STS philosophies and theories with our own contexts and field sites. We talked about how we can use existing STS concepts in our field sites, how concepts travel, and how we can modify them. Overall, the meetup was highly relevant in opening a constructive discussion on South Asian STS network building and the potential roadblocks we might face in the future. The meetup created an exciting environment to explore future collaborations and the potential for additional meetings.
As we have just started the conversation on the South Asian STS Network Building, we are always looking for more people from South Asia or those working on South Asia to contribute and join the discussion. If this interests you, please email us at stsindianetwork@gmail.com.
