Workshop conference on Science and Technology Studies in Hungary (Glya Community Center, 3- !

anuary, "#$3%

The two-day conference, organized by Andrs Novoszth and Mrton Fabk, was sponsored by the !ropean Association for the "t!dy of "cience and Techno#ogy$ The conference was #a!nched with a keynote #ect!re by %s!zsa &i##e, fo##owed by five ''(tone-setting( #ect!res on broader topics )po#itics, nat!re, space, the body, the econo*y+ and their possib#e #inks to "T"$ Two pane#s fo##owed in the afternoon, and the ne,t day there were three pane# session, *ost pane#s hosting fo!r presentations each, which added !p to forty-five-. presentations a#together$ There was a co#orf!# range of pane#s, fro* info-co**!ncation techno#ogies to body and spirit, fro* gender in science to assistive techno#ogies and disabi#ities$ /ay one finished with a disc!ssion on "T" in 0!ngary and abroad abroad, and the conference had a c#osing s!**ary pane# and a *eeting of the organizers of the "T" network$ The keynote #ect!re by %s!zsa &i##e )1niversity of 2##inois+ was tho!ght-provoking and high#y entertaining$ "he spoke abo!t the conte*porary *ateria#ization of the e,ercise of power3, that is, how thro!gh the *ateria# wor#d !ne4!a# power str!ct!res can be *aintained thro!gho!t the *ateria# wor#d even if there is an e4!a#ity of opport!nity on an abstract po#itica# #eve#$ "he bro!ght presented two case st!dies on 0!ngary after the 1 accession5 the 0!ngarian paprika scanda# in 677- and the 0!ngerit goose #iver scanda# in 6778$ These were two prod!cts of 0!ngarian agric!#t!re that increased their *arket share after the 1 accession3 rare occ!rencesocc!rrences, as the otherwise !nprepared sector received #ess fro* the 9A: than e,pected, had to face 4!otas conserving #ow prod!ction and co!#d not fi## the *any e,pectations p!t bofy ;estern !ropean food chains$ &oose #iver and paprika were doinghad being doing we## for a few years b!t their rep!tation was serio!s#y har*ed by these scanda#s, and &i##e arg!ed that they were in #ine with the *ateria#ization of power$ The 1, if taking <ato!r=s concept of g#oba# asse*b#age, based on these e,a*p#es, differentiates between *e*ber states via se#ective reg!#ation$ The partic!#ar, socio*ateria# networks of weaker *e*ber states within these asse*b#ages is not taken into acco!nt in the case of 0!ngary, af#ato,in contro# was not taken over by the 1 after accession and 0!ngary did not have the financia# *eans to do work with these contro#s on its own$ Th!s the 4!estion arises5 the socio-*ateria# networks of which co!ntries are taken into acco!nt >or are preferred in the reg!#ations adopted by the g#oba# asse*b#age? As for goose #iver, 0!ngarian goose #iver e,port was partia##y b#ocked - and thereby its for*er rep!tation was serio!s#y da*aged - thro!gh an ani*a# rights ca*paign by a &er*an nonprofit organization$ &i##e cited @anciAre=s theory of the ethica# co**!nity rep#acing the po#itica# co**!nity, where the po#itica# co**!nity s!pposes dissent )everybody sho!#d co!nt+ whi#e the ethica# does not, as everybody is a!to*atica##y part of the co**!nity a!to*atica##y$ Those, who are *argina#, are either designated by accident, or by those, who are destr!ctive a second gro!p are which is not B*ateria#( for debate, they are e,c#!ded fro* p!b#ic disco!rse as they are seen as threat to society$ The e,a*p#e for this is ''(2nfinite C!stice( where the victi*Ds viewpoint is !sed by the Bethica# co**!nity( and even the vio#ation of the )h!*an+ rights of others can be C!stified when representing the victi*$ As a res!#t, the representation of nat!re and *ateria# goods in par#ia*ent or e#sewhere is not innocent5, E '';ho sho!#d represent the geese?( )the ani*a# rights activists, the geese owners, the veterinarians?+ beco*es an i*portant 4!estion$ &i##e !sed the concept of ''p(post-socia#is*(, which she sees as being s!stained by changing the str!ct!res of difference on the one hand )ine4!a#ities red!ced to differences+ and by the *ateria#ization of differences$ As a so#!tion, one needs to po#iticize *ateria#ity$ 2t has to be acknow#edged going beyond <ato!r that *ateria# can be !sed beyond the *icro #eve# and this idea of #ogistica# power on a *acro #eve# )as !sed by M!kerCi+ needs to be !ncovered$

The five- tone- setters fo##owed$5 &bor Fir#y spoke abo!t Nat!renat!re, differentiating between three ways of constr!cting risks and e,p#aining these the fo##owing three constr!cts thro!gh the e,a*p#e of the disasters$ The antropocene view ho#ds that h!*ans have beco*e the #argest nat!re-inf#!encing force, and here scientists represent an obCective rea#ity that po#iticians need to i*p#e*ent so that h!*ans adapt to the #aws of nat!re$ The po#itica# eco#ogy view says there is no nat!re, as societies create their own networks, which constr!ct different kinds of ''(nat!res($ Techno#ogica# changes ind!ce nat!ra# change5 the ho#e ion the ozone #ayer is an e,a*p#e for of this$ The scientist is a representative, a speaker, b!t nat!ra# facts don=t speak for the*se#ves and so po#itics has have to represent nat!re in the par#ia*ent of ''(things($ Nat!ra# e#e*ents, therefore, beco*e s!bCects of po#itics5 ani*a#s, and f!t!re generations$ @e#ativization of nat!re5 e$g$ %izek=s idea of nat!re as ideo#ogy$ Nat!re is the representation of socia# order$ ;hich societies think of what as i*portant? The e,a*p#e being when the &#oba# North tries to force its concepts onto the &#oba# "o!th$ The 4!estion of ''(nat!ra#( here can on#y be !nderstood in a power space$ The scientist p#ays a po#itica# ro#e, even if !nconso!s#y )%izek5 Bthere has been no *other nat!re(+$ 2t is hectic, r!th#ess, not predictab#e$ /isaster is nat!ra# and constant, it wi## a#ways happen, techno#ogy needs to be !sed for preventing it$ As a c#osing 4!estion, Fir#y asked5 which perspective is best when we try to #ay thea fo!ndations ofto s!stainabi#ity? &bor /nyi gave a speech on pPolitics and STS, and he presented his research on the 0!ngarian par#ia*ent, 677G-67H7, fro* an "T" point of view, taking into acco!nt the history of the b!i#ding )a Bdisproportionate beast(+, the o#d practices and concepts )#ike the 0o#y 9rown+ and how these *ethods worked in the 6Hst cent!ry$ 0e checked the h0o!se r!#es as a *an!a# for the po#itica# *echanis*>*achinery and scr!tinized the way the that the p:ar#ia*ent=s representation f!nction worked$ Mrton 9zirf!sz disc!ssed sSpace and STS, referring to co*p#e, action networks and asking 4!estions re#ated to these ), e$g$ what distance, translation or performativity *eans in s!ch networks+, or how one can interpret power re#ations with the he#p of these )is power a priori there e,istent, or created by action networks?+$ *ese <afferton ta#ked abo!t the bBody and STS, !sing the case of ethno#ogy and physica# anthropo#ogy in fin-de-sicle 0!ngary$ "he c#ai*ed that in these proCects proCects, one can detect increasing nationa#is* b!t this was sti## re#ative#y *oderate in the internationa# conte,t and in 0!ngary there was a #ack of ''(v!#gar racis*( that one can detect in ;estern anthropo#ogica# traditions$ The bio#ogica# definition of race was a#*ost co*p#ete#y *issing beca!se the strategies that were e*p#oyed at an e,terna# co#onizsation co!#d not be of !se for the interna# co#onizsation that the 0!ngarians were doingcarrying o!t$ %s!zsanna Iargha=s ta#k on the eEconomy and STS was based on her work that which ana#yzsed the operations of a bank before the financia# crisis$ "he checked what softwarees wasare !sed, how they staff spoke with c#ients, what e,p#anations they gave in everyday operations$ "he !sed ethno*ethodo#ogy as a concept and introd!ced 9@M, a software for c!sto*er re#ationship *anage*ent, which c!sto*-tai#ored and , persona#ized the banks offers based on aggregate data$ A hybrid c#ient was th!s constr!cted , techno#ogy-*ade an #ife-f#esh$ As for the vario!s pane# sessions, two sa*p#es wi## be *entioned here, both fro* "at!rday$5 H$ &ender in "cience

2n the &ender in "cience pane#, &s'ter ()dasi spoke abo!t the perspectives of gender in science and provided answers to three 4!estions5 increasing the ratio of wo*en in science, inc#!ding gender into within other fie#ds of research, and the stat!s of gender as a stand-a#one interdiscip#inary fie#d of science$ *gnes +o,)cs app#ied &eorg <!kcsDs Jnto#ogy of "ocia# Keing for arg!ing that a gender perspective co!#d be introd!ced in the nat!ra# sciences, as we##$ "he !sed the kinetic gas theory to show how the (genera# wor#dview( of society at the ti*e appeared in scientific theory, and ca##ed for a fe*inist *etaphysics that wo!#d introd!ce anti-essentia#is*, re#ationa#is* and a criticis* of d!a#istic thinking in the fie#d$ -e)ta (agy disc!ssed the reasons for the #ow ratio of wo*en in technica# sciences, foc!sing on the *asc!#ine organization of know#edge transfer, which #i*it wo*enDs options in five ways5 in the fa*i#y3 by teachers of high schoo#s and !niversities3 thro!gh socia# e,pectations )there is in a## three a B(hidden c!rric!#!*( that e,pects wo*en not to enter these fie#ds+3 *a#e st!dents of technica# sciences3, and workp#aces that are c!sto*-tai#ored for *a#es$ .eronika /aksiDs presentation invoked the *etaphor of the B(#eaky pipe#ine( to e,p#ain why wo*en disappear easi#y fro* nat!ra# sciences$ The B(pipe#ine( refers to a rigid, instit!tiona#ized career *ode#, which is c!sto*-tai#ored for white, *idd#e-c#ass *en of the HL.7s and HLG7s and hasnDt changed *!ch ever since$ For *ore wo*en to s!cceed in s!ch careers, she be#ieved that the fo##owing are needed5 gender ne!tra#ity, professiona# s!pport, f#e,ib#e careers and a good work-private #ife ba#ance$ 6$ ,a*inations and "ocia# 9ategories$

2n this pane#, Csa0a 1upcsik disc!ssed a potentia# research proCect on doctor-patient co**!nication, which wo!#d take into consideration the shifting power re#ations in hea#th care, where the average difference between the schoo#ing of doctors and patients is decreasing, the access of non-e,perts to professiona# )or see*ing#y professiona#+ *ateria# has increased and the average #ife span has increased by H.7M in the past cent!ry ), therefore, non-e,perts have *ore and *ore e,perience with of hea#th care+$ .era S'a0ari gave a ta#k on the possibi#ity of e,a*ining socio#ogica# research )in partic!#ar5 socio#ogica# e#ite research done after HL8L+ fro* a socio#ogy socio#ogica# of science perspective, which refersreferring to the innovation of this fie#d5 concentrating on the process of the prod!ction of know#edge and its socia# or co**!nity-based nat!re and the f#e,ibi#ity of the interpretation of the res!#ts$ !udit G)rdos ta#ked abo!t a @o*are#ated research done cond!cted by #eading socio#ogists in 0!ngary in 677G, and arg!ed that the r!#es that app#y for professiona# artic#es )theoretica# introd!ction, hypotheses, showing e*pirica# data, conc#!sions, co*parisons, interpretations, o!t#ook+ were disrespected and there were a great dea# of ad hoc e,p#anations$ "he *aintained that the e,p#anation research !sed other know#edge e#e*ents besides than the obCect of scr!tiny, in the research and she asked the 4!estion5 why isnDt there tr!e scientific research on stereotypes in 0!ngary? -arna S'amosi disc!ssed the identification of @o*a in 0!ngarian *edica# genetics disco!rse$ 0is research is based on interviews with h!*an geneticists, who try to #ocate @o*a as a separate gro!p for research, as certain ethnicities>pop!#ations can have an increased incidence of certain i##nesses )e$g$ The Tay-"achs disease, that which has a higher fre4!ency a*ong ashkenaziAshkenazi News in the 1$"$+$ The possib#e prob#e*s with s!ch research is identifying @o*a 5 fa*i#y- tree research, #ast- na*e ana#ysis is not necessari#y re#iab#e$ Those, who arg!e for !sing race>ethnicity-based c#assifications in genetic research say that these can be !sed in a *anner that is as obCective and va#!e- ne!tra# as possib#e, and that the research o!tco*es )#ike in the case of 2ce#and or 9ypr!s+ serve the interests of the pop!#ation$