The Commerce and Politics of Science
An International Conference

University of Notre Dame
September 21-24, 2006

CALL FOR PAPERS

The John J. Reilly Center of the University of Notre Dame in conjunction with Bielefeld University invites papers and panels for a conference on The Commerce and Politics of Science, to be held September 21-24, 2006 at Notre Dame. Confirmed keynote speakers include Robert Berdahl, former Chancellor of the University of California, Berkeley, and Sheldon Krimsky of Tufts University. Controversies over the commercialization of scientific research and representations of science for political ends have surged in recent years. Two central concerns voiced in the mid-twentieth century have resurfaced as sources of contemporary unease. First, how do commercial and political interests shape scientific inquiry, knowledge, and practice, both now and in the past? Second, is it possible to say that one or another economic or political context is favorable or unfavorable to science or more likely or less likely to produce “good science?” These questions encompass many issues requiring analysis from a wide range of disciplinary perspectives, including history, philosophy, anthropology, economics, sociology, law, and political science. The Planning Committee welcomes papers from scholars in any of these disciplines which, through an examination of current or past scientific practice, analyze the commerce and politics of science. Please submit a 500-word abstract by March 1, 2006 for either a single paper (30-minute limit), a session consisting of two papers (30 minutes each), or a panel, accompanied by a one-paragraph description including your academic affiliation(s), scholarly interests, and major publications. Notification will be made by March 31, 2006.

Please submit your proposal electronically to reilly@nd.edu

OR mail a hard copy to:

Reilly Center for Science, Technology, and Values
309 O'Shaughnessy
University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, IN 46556