IstanbuLab — STS Talks
Democratisation of Technological Culture
Speaker: Prof. Dr. Wiebe Bijker
Moderator: Prof. Dr. Hacer Ansal
How does technology shape our democracies? Some would argue that technologies emancipate people because technologies help to cope with problems and they provide access to new resources. Others are afraid that the algorithms of Facebook and Google threaten our democracies. Can we, vice versa, shape our technologies democratically or is their development dictated by physics and economics? How can societies take control over research and innovation to serve their own developmental and democratic agendas? Which conditions make such self-rule possible?
This talk explores the relations between technology and democracy, and also between technology, art and democracy through examples from The Netherlands and India. It suggests that we need experimentation with our democracies to realize futures that are ecologically, economically, and socially sustainable.
Prof. Dr. Wiebe Bijker was trained as an engineer, physicist and philosopher, and his research has focused on the social construction of technology and on questions of democracy and technology. He is professor at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim, and emeritus professor at Maastricht University, The Netherlands. He is Past President of the Society for Social Studies of Science (4S) and founding co-editor of the book series Inside Technology of MIT Press. He received the John Desmond Bernal Prize (4S, 2006) and the Leonardo da Vinci Medal (SHOT, 2012). His publications include: W.E. Bijker (2003), The Need for Public Intellectuals: A Space for STS. Science, Technology & Human Values; W.E. Bijker (2007), Dikes and Dams, Thick with Politics. Isis; W.E. Bijker, R. Bal & R. Hendriks (2009), Paradox of Scientific Authority: the role of scientific advice in democracies. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press; A. Hommels, J. Mesman & W.E. Bijker (Eds.) (2013), Vulnerability in Technological Cultures. New directions in research and governance. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press; W.E. Bijker (2017), Constructing Worlds: Reflections on Science, Technology and Democracy (and a Plea for Bold Modesty). Engaging Science, Technology, and Society.
After graduating from the Civil Engineering Department of Bosphorus University, Prof. Dr. Hacer Ansal received her master’s degree in Soil Mechanics of Civil Engineering from Northwestern University and worked as a civil engineer for five years in the USA. She received her PhD in “Science, Technology and Industrialization” Program at “Science Policy Research Unit (SPRU)” of Sussex University. After working at Technology Programme in UNCTAD, Geneva, she joined the Management Faculty of Istanbul Technical University. (ITU). Alongside taking a number of administrative roles at ITU, the head of the Economics Department and deputy manager of the Social Sciences Institute, she opened the “Science, Technology, and Society” masters program. In 2005, she transferred to Işık University to establish the Humanities and Social Sciences Department. At Işık, she opened the division of “Science, Technology, and Society”, for the first time in Turkey, functioning under an undergraduate program. Until she resigned as a signatory of the Academics for Peace petition, she worked at different academic positions at Işık, where she also opened the “Technology and Innovation Management” masters program. She has international and national publications over the subjects including Management of Technology and Innovation, Flexible Production Organization Systems, Fordist and Post Fordist Production, Effects of New Technologies on Women’s Employment, New Technology Impact on Economies of Scale, and Socio- Economic Implications of Industry 4.0.
The event is free of charge. Invitations available from the Akbank Sanat ticket office on the event day, one hour before the event begins.