STS is moving beyond old disciplinary demarcations and institutional configurations as the field eagerly expands into new areas and topics. What implications does this have for STS as a field, and for the people who work in it? To discuss this topic, we have invited 5 early career scholars to discuss two interrelated ideas: 1) the scholarly and institutional identity among STS scholars today and in the future, and 2) disciplinary boundary work and new collaborations for STS.
Usually, panels about the future of a field are populated with senior scholars with established names, prestigious networks and high visibility, implying that those with seniority in the field are best suited to set the course for the future. When we choose to highlight and platform the perspectives and experiences of early career STS scholars instead, it is because we believe that the future of the field should be decided by the people who will be doing the work. Furthermore, because we think that early career scholars are uniquely equipped to expand on new academic identity and field formations.
To explore the individual and academic STS identity we ask: what does it mean to be an STS-er in 2023? Is an STS institutional identity necessary, and what is the value of that identity? What kind of conversations on STS scholarly and academic identity take place among the new generation of STS scholars?
The second theme is disciplinary boundary work and crossings. Here we are interested in how STS is relating to other fields. What fields are we looking to for inspiration? What “buzzwords” should we take care to notice – for good or bad? What challenges do young scholars face when combining different backgrounds and fields into STS research?
The panel is organized by the Nordic Journal of Science and Technology Studies as part of celebrating its 10-year anniversary.