Old Email Archive
Return to old archive list
digest 2004-08-06 #001.txt
litsci-l-digest Friday, August 6 2004 Volume 01 : Number
069
In this issue:
Steve Kurtz/Critical Art Ensemble discussion at SLSA meeting?
STS Job search at Cornell
CFP: STS (R)evolutions, Virginia Tech
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Tue, 03 Aug 2004 09:29:12 -0400
From: bjr3@buffalo.edu
Subject: Steve Kurtz/Critical Art Ensemble discussion at SLSA meeting?
Hello all,
I was wondering/hoping if some of this year??s SLSA participants would
be
interested in taking part in an informal, brown bag style discussion of
the case surrounding Critical Art Ensemble member Steve Kurtz. Such a
discussion, which could take place during the lunch break on Friday, is
a must, given the timeliness of the subject (so timely that I was unable
to get together a proper panel on the case), CAE??s interest in the
intersections of science/art/discourse, and SLS??s recent transformation
into SLSA.
For those who might not be familiar with the case, a summary:
University at Buffalo art professor Steve Kurtz, a member of Critical
Art Ensemble (a group of collaborative artists who investigate
alternative forms of political/economic protest in the context of art
that critiques, most recently, genetically modified food), woke up on
the morning of 11 May 2004 to discover that his wife had stopped
breathing (she died of undisclosed causes, a tragedy often lost in the
midst of the events that were to follow). Paramedics on the scene
spotted what, to them, appeared to be lab equipment with bioterror
implications. The FBI, in full hazmat suits and with pistols drawn and
leveled, entered the house and confiscated Kurtz??s equipment, computer,
and papers and cordoned off his house. Kurtz was arraigned on Patriot
Act-inspired bioterror charges, which were later dismissed (the organism
in question turns out to be used by middle-school students in biology
experiments). Other CAE members, UB faculty and Autonomedia were also
subpoenaed for the grand jury hearing. Once the initial charges proved
to be impossible to prosecute, Kurtz and a University of Pittsburg
scientist were indicted for mail fraud, which carries a possible penalty
of 20 years in prison and/or a $250,000 fine.
Notably, given the context of the charges, CAE advocates an activism
based in ?¨fuzzy sabotage,?Æ discussed in Molecular Invasion as follows
(note: all of CAE??s books are available as PDFs at
http://www.critical-art.net/books/index.html; for sale at
http://bookstore.autonomedia.org/index.cgi):
?¨The fuzzy saboteur has to stand on that ambiguous line between the
legal and the illegal (both criminally and civilly). From that point,
the individual or group can set in motion a chain of events that will
yield the desired final result. The opening activity??the only one to
which the saboteur should have any direct causal link??should be as
legal
as possible and hopefully within the rights of any individual. The more
links in the chain, the better from a legal standpoint, but extending
causal chains increases the difficulty of controlling all the
exponentially growing number of variables that could doom the action.
For the most part, such actions will only have two phases??the
legitimate
or fuzzy act and the upheaval it causes. The authorities then have the
legal conundrum of proving guilt by indirect action??an unenviable task
for any attorney. Moreover, unlike CD, fuzzy sabotage does not require a
physical confrontation with authority, and in many cases does not
require any type of trespass.?Æ (101)
Coupled to the focus of CAE??s work, this statement and the politics it
implies offers an opportunity to not only investigate the relationships
of biotech to its economic and cultural milieu (a discussion that has
obviously been going on for quite some time), but also the chance to
think through the implications of current US policy and its effects upon
those of us who investigate/question such relationships.
Please contact me off-list (bjr3@buffalo.edu) if you would like to take
part in the discussion and/or if you have any suggestions for how we
might get such a discussion off the ground. Wayne Miller has suggested
that we might be able to use the room where lunch will be held on
Saturday and that we might be able to arrange for ?¨box lunches?Æ from
the
hotel caterers. I would be happy to try and make these arrangements,
unless someone has another suggestion.
I will send along another post once I have figured out some of the
logistics, and whether or not there is enough interest to warrant the
discussion in the first place.
In the meantime, some links:
See the CAE site at: http://www.critical-art.net/.
For more on the Kurtz case see the CAE Defense Fund site at:
http://www.caedefensefund.org/.
Two informative, if tepid, Wired News articles:
http://www.wired.com/news/medtech/0,1286,63637,00.html
http://www.wired.com/news/medtech/0,1286,64040,00.html
(Warning: shameless plug.) Also see the collection of links (if not the
actual commentary) at:
http://www.semioclast.com/archives/000342.html
http://www.semioclast.com/archives/000338.html
http://www.semioclast.com/archives/000335.html
http://www.semioclast.com/archives/000332.html
I look forward to hearing from some of you.
Regards,
Benjamin J. Robertson
PhD candidate in English
Teaching Assistant
University at Buffalo
www.semioclast.com
- -
+-+-+-+-+-+
Please see the following URL for the LITSCI-L archive, Web resource
links and unsubscribing info:
http://www.law.duke.edu/sls
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 03 Aug 2004 16:05:24 -0400
From: Phoebe Sengers
Subject: STS Job search at Cornell
Hello SLS(A) friends,
We have an open job search for Science & Technology Studies this
year at Cornell. Please feel free to send this job notice far and wide!
Cheers,
Phoebe
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY STUDIES
CORNELL UNIVERSITY
The Department of Science & Technology Studies at Cornell
University is seeking to fill a tenure-track professorial position.
The area of specialization within Science & Technology Studies is
open. Applicants should have a strong record of research and
publication in Science & Technology Studies. Successful applicants
will be expected to teach undergraduate and graduate courses and to
play an active role in the Departments graduate training program.
Candidates should submit: (a) a letter of application explaining
the relation of their research and teaching interests to this
position; (b) a curriculum vitae; (c) sample syllabi for
undergraduate and graduate courses; (d) three letters of
recommendation to be sent directly to the Department; and (e) a
sample of written work, such as an article or chapter. Application
materials should be submitted to Trevor Pinch, Chair, Department of
Science & Technology Studies, 306 Rockefeller Hall, Cornell
University, Ithaca, NY 14853.
Applications will be reviewed beginning November 1, 2004 until the
position is filled. For further information, please contact
the Department at 607-255-6043, or tjp2@cornell.edu, or visit
http://www.sts.cornell.edu. Cornell University is an affirmative
action/equal opportunity employer.
- -
+-+-+-+-+-+
Please see the following URL for the LITSCI-L archive, Web resource
links and unsubscribing info:
http://www.law.duke.edu/sls
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 5 Aug 2004 19:16:43 -0400
From: "benjamin r cohen"
Subject: CFP: STS (R)evolutions, Virginia Tech
This is a multi-part message in MIME format.
- ------=_NextPart_000_002F_01C47B20.BE823230
Content-Type: text/plain;
charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Dear SLS(A) Colleagues,
Please see the two-part Conference Announcement below (Part 1: a =
background blurb. Part 2: the actual CFP).
Cordially, and with hopes of seeing you next Spring (well, and plus in =
Durham),
Ben
- ------------------------
August 5, 2004
First Call for Papers
STS (R)evolutions
March 17-20th, 2005
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA
Abstracts of 250 words should be submitted electronically to =
STS_revolutions@vt.edu by November 15, 2004.
** Conference Background **
An emerging sense of urgency cuts across recent work and conferences in
=
the field of Science & Technology Studies: What role can STS play in =
reshaping the relationships among science, technology and the public(s)?
=
At a time in which the politics of scientific and technical knowledge =
are increasingly visible to scientists and non-scientists alike (witness
=
the very public critiques of the Bush administration's science practices
=
by the Union of Concerned Scientists, for example), the role of science
=
and technology in structuring both the boundaries and possibilities of =
our everyday lives continues to escalate. STS scholars are uniquely =
positioned to address these tensions and to offer new insights into the
=
interactions of science, technology, and publics through work in both =
historical and contemporary contexts. Yet, this move towards a more =
interventionist or reconstructivist STS - "a rapproachment between the =
more academic and more activist wings of STS," as Woodhouse, Hess, =
Breyman, and Martin (2002) describe it - has deep historical roots =
within a field that emerged, in part, via the movements of activist =
scientists working to produce science for the public and second wave =
feminist critiques of science and medicine in the 1960s and 1970s. Thus,
=
to pursue a more interventionist or reconstructivist STS agenda of =
research, policymaking, and activism - and other future directions - it
=
seems necessary to simultaneously revisit our past and the emergence of
=
the field of Science & Technology Studies, as well as to assess our =
current locations.
This conference is part of a year-long celebration of the 25th =
anniversary of STS at Virginia Tech. As part of the conference program,
=
we seek to include histories of many of the "official" and "unofficial"
=
sites of STS throughout the world. Your assistance in gathering these =
narratives will be greatly appreciated. Email STS_revolutions@vt.edu to
=
contribute.
** Call for Papers **
We are interested in papers that address the past, present, and futures
=
of the field of Science & Technology Studies, particularly those that =
explore the interrelationships of these narratives. Here, we envision =
possible topics such as:
a.. Histories of STS: Alternative, Competing or Co-existing Lineages?
b.. STS and Disciplines: The Politics of Collaboration and =
Non-Collaboration
c.. STS Outside the Academy: Practices, Promises, and Perils
d.. STS in the Global North and South: Divisions, Connections, or =
Both?
e.. "Doing STS" - New Methodological Directions and Practices
f.. The Science Wars 10 Years Out: Meanings, Lessons, Ongoing =
Challenges
g.. "So, you have a PhD in STS": The Effects of "Disciplinarity" on =
the Field
h.. Mainstreaming "Difference": Incorporating issues of difference - =
gender, race, class, nationality, sexual orientation, and so forth - =
across STS at large
i.. Science Studies vs. Technology Studies - or is it all =
Technoscience?
** New Directions in STS **
In addition to these broad discussions, we highly encourage the =
submission of papers that showcase New Directions in STS - papers that =
identify emerging research trends and explore new subject areas from new
=
vantage points with new tools. We have identified the following areas of
=
interest, though this list is by no means exhaustive: Science, =
Technology, and Citizenship: Science and Technology in a Post 9-11 =
World; Science and Engineering Education; The Corporatization of the =
University; and Activism in Local and Global Communities. Papers =
addressing a wide variety of topics are welcome.
** Roundtables on More Practical Matters **
Further, we are interested in coordinating sessions or round-tables that
=
discuss more practical matters such as professional development for =
graduate students and new faculty; how to get a job and tenure as an =
interdisciplinary scholar; how to get a job outside the academy; and so
=
forth. Participants are welcome to coordinate full sessions or to =
request that they be part of specific roundtables that we will organize.
=
** Final Details **
We especially welcome papers from students and young researchers, =
particularly those from the Global South. Small travel grants will be =
available on request depending upon resource availability.
Abstracts of 250 words should be submitted electronically to =
STS_revolutions@vt.edu by November 15, 2004.
- -
+-+-+-+-+-+
Please see the following URL for the LITSCI-L archive, Web resource
links and unsubscribing info:
http://www.law.duke.edu/sls
------------------------------
End of litsci-l-digest V1 #69
*****************************
-
+-+-+-+-+-+
Please see the following URL for the LITSCI-L archive, Web resource
links and unsubscribing info:
