Dissertation Research: Doing Nanotechnology in the 21st Century Postsocialist China: Local Worlds and Alternative Modernities

本次美国国家自然科学基金会科学与社会学位论文改进助学金资助了以纳米技术在《中国》中的出现为中心的学位论文研究。该项目正在利用中国的案例研究来重新思考科学、现代化和全球化的社会理论。根据这笔拨款，这位博士生将收集人种学数据，以应对后殖民科学研究中的几场辩论，以及关于中国社会经济转型的文献。这位研究人员将专门调查中国的两个大都市：北京和上海，并试图展示当地的政治和处境心态如何显著影响中国纳米技术科学家的研究实践。该项目将研究他们的智力网络，特别是与海外华人科学家的网络，如何帮助他们克服语言障碍，获得有用的信息，并获得其他帮助，为日益国际化的受众开展纳米技术研究。该项目还考察了海外和当地中国科学家之间的学术交流如何相互影响彼此的研究实践。为了补充数据收集，该学生还将采访美国和香港的少数科学家，并将从美国、中国和香港的专业会议和会议的参与者观察中收集民族志数据。最后，学生将在研究之旅中参观中国图书馆的几个特殊藏书区，进行文献分析。中国目前正经历着快速的社会经济转型。科学研究受益于该国电信和交通的快速发展，但人们对中国的科学参与者知之甚少。此外，国家内部仍然存在巨大的差异，但我们不知道这种差异在中国的高科技发展中是如何体现的。由于全球纳米技术的出现将涉及中国，该项目的发现将有助于确定摆在中国科学家面前的各种机会、限制和辩论。这一理解将是进行跨国比较的有用材料。该项目还将为后殖民科学研究带来新的曙光。到目前为止，还没有研究用后殖民理论来考察中国的高科技发展。这项研究的研究成果将被用作大学和研究生课程的教材，特别是在科学的社会研究中。此外，这项研究的结果将向其他科学家、社会科学家以及普通公众传播。

This NSF Science and Society Dissertation Improvement Grant funds dissertation research focusing on the emergence of nanotechnology in China. The project is using the case study of China to reconsider social theories of science, modernization and globalization. Under this grant, the doctoral student will gather ethnographic data to address several postcolonial debates in social studies of science and literatures on China's socio-economic transformation. The researcher will specifically investigate two metropolitan Chinese cities: Beijing and Shanghai, and attempt to show how local politics and situated mentalities can significantly shape research practice among Chinese scientists in nanotechnology. The project will examine how their intellectual networks, especially with ethnic Chinese scientists overseas, help them overcome language barriers, acquire useful information and obtain other help to conduct nanotechnology research for an increasingly international audience. The project also exams how academic exchanges between overseas and local Chinese scientists mutually shape the research practice of each other. To supplement the data collection, the student will also interview a smaller number of scientists in U.S. and Hong Kong, and will collect ethnographic data from participant-observations in professional conferences and meetings in U.S., China and Hong Kong. Finally, the student will visit several special collection sections in Chinese libraries during the research trip for documentary analysis. China is currently undergoing rapid socio-economic transformations. Scientific research has benefited from rapid advances in telecommunication and transportation in that country, but not much is known about Chinese science actors. In addition, the country continues to possess enormous within-country variations, but we do not know how such variations manifest in high-technology development in China. As the global emergence of nanotechnology will involve China, this project's findings will help identify the various kinds of opportunities, constraints and debates in front of Chinese scientists. The understanding will be useful materials for transnational comparisons. The project will also shed new light to postcolonial studies of science. To date, no studies have used postcolonial theories to examine high technology development in China. Research findings from this study will be used as teaching materials for college and graduate courses, particularly in social studies of science. In addition, results of this research will be disseminated to other scientists, social scientists, as well as the general public.