Hope for nanotechnology: anticipatory knowledge and the governance of affect

Abstract

This paper describes how hopes can be, and have been, placed in nanotechnology. Focusing on two recent UK government reports into the future of nanotechnology, by the DTI/OST and MoD, the paper describes how the disclosure of the nanoscale as a place subject to intervention, the act that is taken to define nanotechnology, can be understood in the context of anticipatory knowledge practices that create futures. Because the object of such practices are virtualities, such as opportunities and threats, the paper argues that affect is transversal to both nano-technoscience and anticipatory governance. In conclusion, I open up a set of questions about anticipatory knowledges and argue that the ground that enables hope to be placed in nanotechnology is the event that defines nano -to simultaneously reduce 'life' to matter and to multiply 'life' into a limitless set of materialities.

Anticipating ubiquitous computing: Logics to forecast technological futures

“…Anderson (2010cAnderson ( , 2010dAnderson ( , 2010aAnderson ( , 2010b) addresses anticipatory action principally in relation to undesirable circumstances, such as the mitigation of terrorism, disease pandemic and natural disaster. However, these conceptual tools can also be brought to bear on aspirational forms of future oriented action, in this case ubicomp R&D. There accordingly exists a nascent literature that can be rudimentarily classified through the themes of anticipatory 'knowledge' (Anderson, 2007(Anderson, , 2010c(Anderson, , 2010aShields, 2008), anticipatory 'governance' (Anderson, 2007(Anderson, , 2010bBarben et al, 2007) and anticipatory 'logic' (Anderson, 2005(Anderson, , 2010cKraftl, 2008). In this section I will discuss these related concepts and move on to develop an explanation of how the concepts of 'anticipatory logics' and 'anticipatory practices' can elucidate how futures are addressed in ubicomp research and development.…”

“…With the emergence of Genetically Modified Organisms (cf. Bingham, 2006Bingham, , 2008 and nanotechnology (Anderson, 2007;Shields, 2008) there has been overt reference to the application and development of forms of 'anticipatory governance'.…”

“…relation to nanotechnology (Anderson, 2007;Barben et al, 2007;Selin, 2006;Shields, 2008), is figured as 'based on more than sound analytical capacities and relevant empirical knowledge: It also emerges out of a distributed collection of social and epistemological capacities… For, although action and outcomes are emergent qualities of human choice and behaviour, they rarely, if ever, proceed from certainty or prediction… Anticipation implies an awareness of the co-production of sociotechnical knowledge and the importance of richly imagining sociotechnical alternatives that might inspire its use' (Barben et al, 2007, pp. 991-992).…”

“…Secondly, and notably, there exists a literature on various ways of understanding futurity and particularly anticipation. A small but significant amount of work has been conducted in human geography explicitly on the ways in which futures are and have been figured and attempts have been made to engage with futures (for example : Adey, 2009;Anderson, 2006Anderson, , 2007Anderson, , 2010dBudd and Adey, 2009;Evans, 2010;Kitchin and Kneale, 2001;Kraftl, 2007;Macnaghten, 2010;Pinder, 2001Pinder, , 2005 : Braun, 2005;Harvey, 2000;kinpaisby, 2008;Wolch, 2007).…”

Embodied experiences in international volunteering: power-body relations and performative ontologies

“…Affects and emotions can be understood as 'autonomous' capacities, making them unstable and contestable sites of control and manipulation (Anderson, 2007;Massumi, 1995). This gives cause to question instances where affective life is attributed to the affective expressions of neoliberal power.…”