Keeping the culture alive: the laboratory technician in mid-twentieth-century British medical research

Tansey, EM

doi:10.1098/rsnr.2007.0035

Cited by 17 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…The work of scientific technicians has been described as “invisible”—in that it is uncredited, unacknowledged, and less prestigious (Barley and Bechky ; Russell et al. ; Shapin ; Tansey ; Timmermans ). I suggest, however, that the relative (in)visibility of the indigenous technicians at Tiwanaku (both literally and in terms of their relative prestige) is less a problem of sight than a difference in site.…”

Section: Archaeology As Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

Indigenous Archaeological Field Technicians at Tiwanaku, Bolivia: A Hybrid Form of Scientific Labor

Leighton

2016

American Anthropologist

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Archaeology is a science with an intimate investment in the bodies that labor to produce its objects of knowledge. Data comes into being through tactile skills: eyes that see, hands that touch, voices that name and debate. It matters, therefore, who constitutes and controls the labor force; yet little has been written about archaeological workers. Here I outline the relationship between archaeologists and indigenous workers at Tiwanaku, Bolivia, showing that archaeologists did not have direct control over labor on their sites, including who was hired, how much they were paid, and how jobs were defined. These decisions are made by the community's Mallkus in active (sometimes protracted) negotiation with the archaeologists. While active and constant, the process of bargaining was not necessarily conflicted; moreover, it led to a form of labor organization and scientific practice that was neither entirely "Aymara/indigenous" nor entirely "archaeological/scientific." It thus forms an intriguing example of a form of hybrid scientific practice that incorporates two very different conceptualizations of labor, both as it relates to specific individuals (who is capable of occupying specific jobs) and how it is valued (what the underlying purpose of scientific work should be). [postcolonial science studies, Andeanist archaeology, anthropology of work, technicians, field sciences] RESUMEN La arqueología es una ciencia con una inversióníntima en los cuerpos que trabajan para producir sus objetos de conocimiento. Los datos surgen a través de las destrezas táctiles: ojos que ven, manos que tocan, voces que nombran y debaten. Importa, por lo tanto, quién constituye y controla la fuerza de trabajo; sin embargo, poco ha sido escrito acerca de los trabajadores arqueológicos. Aquí, bosquejo la relación entre arqueólogos y trabajadores indígenas en Tiwanaku, Bolivia, mostrando que los arqueólogos no tenían control directo sobre el trabajo en sus sitios, incluyendo quién era contratado, cuánto se les pagaba y cuántos trabajos se definieron. Estas decisiones son hechas por los Malkus de la comunidad en activa (algunas veces prolongada) negociación con los arqueólogos.Mientras activo y constante, el proceso de negociación no necesariamente fue conflictivo; además, llevó a una forma de organización del trabajo y práctica científica que no fue ni enteramente "aimara/indígena" ni enteramente "arqueológica/científica". De este modo forma un interesante ejemplo de una forma práctica científica híbrida que incorpora dos muy diferentes conceptualizaciones de trabajo, ambas en la manera que se relaciona a individuos específicos (quién es capaz de ocupar trabajos específicos) y cómo es valorado (cuál debe ser el subyacente propósito del trabajo científico). [estudios científicos postcoloniales, arqueología andeanista, antropología del trabajo, técnicos, ciencias de campo]

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Section: Archaeology As Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

Indigenous Archaeological Field Technicians at Tiwanaku, Bolivia: A Hybrid Form of Scientific Labor

Leighton

2016

American Anthropologist

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“…Or cette expertise, constituée principalement de connaissances tacites, n'est pas facilement admise dans un monde professionnel caractérisé par une rationalité scientifique. Une récente étude historique a montré que la reconnaissance de l'expertise des « garçons de laboratoire » employés par les universités anglaises vers 1950 s'était heurtée aux mêmes difficultés (Tansey, 2008 …”

Section: Trajectoire Personnelle Et éThiqueunclassified

L’expérimentation animale : une responsabilité à dire et à partager

Lhoste

Montera²

2011

Nat. Sci. Soc.

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“…These technicians are difficult to tackle historically, due to their low profile and a lack of written records. Their role tends to be overshadowed by the scientists leading the research projects who, in many cases, authored autobiographies or donated their records to archives (Tansey 2008). Similarly, the HGMP administrators are largely unknown to academics or the general public.…”

Section: The Synthetic Voice Of the Invisible Administratormentioning

confidence: 99%

The proactive historian: Methodological opportunities presented by the new archives documenting genomics

García-Sancho

2016

Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part C: Studies in

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Abstract:In this paper, I propose a strategy for navigating newly available archives in the study of late-twentieth century genomics. I demonstrate that the alleged 'explosion of data' characteristic of genomics -and of contemporary science in general -is not a new problem and that historians of earlier periods have dealt with information overload by relying on the 'perspective of time': the filtering effect the passage of time naturally exerts on both sources and memories. I argue that this reliance on the selective capacity of time results in inheriting archives curated by others and, consequently, poses the risk of reifying ahistorical scientific discourses. Through a preliminary examination of archives documenting early attempts at mapping and sequencing the human genome, I propose an alternative approach, in which historians proactively problematize and improve available sources. This approach provides historians with a voice in the socio-political management of scientific heritage and advances methodological innovations in the use of oral histories. It also provides a narrative framework in which to address big science initiatives by following second order administrators, rather than individual scientists. The new genomic archives thus represent an opportunity for historians to take an active role in current debates concerning 'big data' and critically embed the humanities in pressing global problems.

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Keeping the culture alive: the laboratory technician in mid-twentieth-century British medical research

Cited by 17 publications

References 20 publications

Indigenous Archaeological Field Technicians at Tiwanaku, Bolivia: A Hybrid Form of Scientific Labor

Indigenous Archaeological Field Technicians at Tiwanaku, Bolivia: A Hybrid Form of Scientific Labor

L’expérimentation animale : une responsabilité à dire et à partager

The proactive historian: Methodological opportunities presented by the new archives documenting genomics

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