U.S. China Planning Visit: Roots of Technological Innovation and Change in Ceramic Traditions of Sichuan Province

该项目将促进美中两国科学家在研究技术创新和变革机制方面的长期合作。重点关注四川省的陶瓷传统，具体的研究目标是确定鼓励和允许促进技术变革的高水平实验的环境。位于中国西南部的四川是研究长期变迁的理想地点，这里有考古收藏、历史档案，还有在相对孤立的环境中仍以传统方式工作的现代陶工。将调查的五个主要参数是材料可用性、生产组织、地理位置、市场类型和政治稳定性。研究方法将包括实地观察和访谈、制图、历史和档案研究，以及对具有代表性的民族志和考古陶瓷的实验室分析。发展对技术变革背后机制的更复杂理解是社会科学的一个核心研究问题，但解释技术创新起源的理论却很少。该项目旨在帮助填补这一空白。这项工作的结果将有助于更全面地理解技术变革是如何以及为什么在各种文化背景下发生的，特别是那些需要适应具有挑战性的环境和文化问题的文化背景。通过了解促进创新繁荣或抑制创新的因素，我们的社会更有可能发展出一种支持技术实验的结构，对不断变化的自然或文化环境的反应能力，以及在经济健康所需时进行创新的能力。

This project will catalyze a long-term collaboration between U.S. and Chinese scientists to investigate mechanisms of technological innovation and change. Focusing on ceramic traditions of Sichuan Province, the specific research objective is to identify the circumstances that encourage and allow for the high level of experimentation that fosters technological change. Sichuan, in southwestern China, is an ideal location for studying long-term change, offering archaeological collections, historical archives, and modern potters who still work in a traditional manner, often in relatively isolated environments. Five main parameters that will be investigated are materials availability, production organization, geographic location, market types, and political stability. Research methods will involve a combination of field observations and interviews, mapping, historical and archival research, and laboratory analysis of representative ethnographic and archaeological ceramics. Developing a more sophisticated understanding of mechanisms underlying technological change is a central research issue in the social sciences, yet theory to explain the origins of technological innovation is sparse. This project aims to help fill that gap. Results from this work will contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of how and why technological change occurs in a variety of cultural contexts, especially ones that require adapting to challenging environmental and cultural issues. By understanding the factors that contribute to the flourishing of innovation, or to its suppression, it is more likely that our society can develop a supportive structure for technological experimentation, responsiveness to changing natural or cultural environments, and the ability to innovate when necessary for economic health.