Standard Research - California Delta: The Engineered Heart of a Modern State Formation

STS研究关注的是现代技术科学状态下自然、技术和社会之间的关系。在这些州，自然和社会被整合在复杂的社会技术网络中：由大坝、土方工程、排水、输水、电网、卫生工程等组成的大规模分布式系统。社会、自然和技术因素相互融合，紧密联系在一起。加州三角洲是一个大型社会技术网络的典型例子，这个网络对一个现代国家的稳定至关重要。理解这类网络对科技服务的目的至关重要，但初步研究表明，对相互独立的社会、自然和技术要素进行建模已导致部分理解，尽管完全适用于特定目的，但实际上可能阻碍对三角洲作为一个整体的广泛理解，从而阻碍其可持续性前景(其含义存在争议)。这项研究寻求对三角洲的发展以及它现在是如何组合的广泛了解，这是对更有重点的研究的必要补充。其目的是一个历史社会学案例研究，有三个关键目标。首先，将三角洲置于西方文明的广阔历史背景中，重点放在科学和自然治理上。第二，瞄准三角洲历史上的关键时刻，解释每个案例的主要结果。第三，调查网络的当前配置，目的是为当今关于网络可持续性的有争议的讨论提供见解。这些目标中的每一个都将通过对现代加利福尼亚州的形成进行总体分析来实现，这是一个通过科学和政府的共同创造，将工程性质、社会和技术结合在一起的持续过程。智力价值：这项研究预计将通过出版一本书和一些文章，对STS的文献做出重大贡献。实质性的知识价值在于通过将社会技术网络分析中的解释方案、组织社会学中的新制度分析以及国家形成的历史/文化社会学中的解释方案结合在一起而形成的理论见解。利用这些文献，这项研究试图开发一种社会技术网络的理论方法，避免用社会决定论取代技术和自然决定论。在此背景下，本研究详细阐述了代理和因果关系之间的区别，从而使网络中的所有要素都可以产生结果，但只有人类行为者及其制品才被授予代理。在这样做的过程中，这项研究试图调和行动者网络和社会构建技术方法之间的一些差异。物质文化的概念？将物质技术与物质本质区分开来，并将用于将社会技术网络研究与现代国家形成的物质维度相结合。这些理论贡献将对加州三角洲的历史发展、当前格局和未来前景进行新的实证分析，并从中获得信息。该项目的核心智力价值在于它对STS研究的贡献，它将理论的形成和解释与细粒度的实证案例分析相结合。广泛的影响：将在教育和培训领域产生广泛的影响。将设计一门课程，？STS 180，专题，？关于社会技术网络，重点是基于研究的加利福尼亚州三角洲。本课程将是加州大学戴维斯分校新设立的STS本科专业的一部分。研究数据集(超文本格式)将放在网上，供学生在自己的研究中使用。了解加州三角洲是如何发展的，以及它的当代状况和可持续发展的前景，将对社会产生广泛的影响和好处。这项研究将对各级政府具有政策相关性。这项研究设想出一本书，旨在对社会上公众对科学技术的理解产生广泛的影响。与公众一样，这项研究将引起加州众多选民的兴趣，如环保主义者、科学家、工程师(当然，这些类别并不是唯一的)、商人和农民等。最后，广泛的影响在于这项研究有助于讨论21世纪大规模社会技术网络可持续性的意义和可能性，以及这种可持续性与国家生存和稳定的关系。

Synopsis: Research in STS is focusing on the relationship between nature, technology and society in modern techno-scientific states. In these states, nature and society are integrated in complex socio-technical networks: massive and distributed systems of dams, earthworks, drainage, water conveyance, power grids, sanitary engineering and so on. Social, natural, and technological elements are engineered together and are deeply interconnected. The California Delta is a prime example of a large socio-technical network that is crucial to the stability of a modern state. Understanding such networks is central to the purpose of STS, but preliminary research indicates that modeling social, natural, and technological elements independently of one another has resulted in partial understandings, that while perfectly adequate for particular purposes, can actually hinder broad understanding of the Delta as a whole, and thus its prospects for sustainability (the meaning of which is contested). This research seeks a broad understanding of the development of the Delta, and also of how it is now assembled, which is a necessary complement to more focused research. The aim is a historical sociological case study, with three key objectives. First, situate the Delta in the broad historical context of western civilization, with a focus on science and the governance of nature. Second, target critical moments in the history of the Delta that explain major outcomes in each case. Third, survey the current configuration of the network with the aim of contributing insight to the contested discussion of network sustainability today. Each of these objectives will be accomplished through an overarching analysis of the formation of the modern state of California as an ongoing process of engineering nature, society and technology together through the co-productions of science and government.Intellectual Merit: The research foresees a significant contribution to the literature in STS through the publication of a book and a number of articles. Substantial intellectual merit lies in the theoretical insights developed by bringing together explanatory schemes in socio-technical network analysis, neo-institutional analyses in organizational sociology, and historical/cultural sociology of state formation. Engaging these literatures, the research seeks to develop a theoretical approach to socio-technical networks that avoids replacing technological and natural determinism with social determinism. In this context the research elaborates the distinction between agency and causality so that all elements in the network can cause outcomes, but only human actors and their artifacts are granted agency. In so doing the research seeks to reconcile some of the differences between the actor-network and social construction of technology approaches. The concept of ?material culture? distinguishes material technology from material nature, and will be used to integrate socio-technical network research with an account of the material dimensions of modern state formation. These theoretical contributions will inform, and be informed by, a new empirical analysis of the historical development, current configuration, and future prospects of the California Delta. The core intellectual merit of the project is its contribution to research in STS that integrates theoretical formulation and explanation with fine-grained empirical case study analysis.Broad Impacts: Broad impacts will be made in the area of education and training. A course will be designed, ?STS 180, Special Topics,? on socio-technical networks, with a focus on the California Delta based on the research. This course will be part of the newly formed STS undergraduate major at the University of California, Davis. The research dataset (hypertext format) will be placed on the web for students to use in their own research. Understanding how the California Delta developed, and its contemporary condition and prospects for sustainability, will have broad impact and benefits for society. The research will have policy relevance for all levels of government. Envisioning a book, this research aims to have a broad impact on public understanding of science and technology in society. As well as the public at large, the research will be of interest to numerous constituencies of California, such as environmentalists, scientists, engineers (the categories are not of course exclusive), business people and farmers, among others. Finally, broad impact lies in the contribution the research makes to discussions about the meaning and possibility of large-scale socio-technical network sustainability in the twenty-first century, and the relationship of such to the viability and stability of the state.