Indiscipline as Method : From Telescopes to Ventilators in Times of Covid

Title data

Turner, Irina ; Merron, James ; Lamoureaux, Siri:
Indiscipline as Method : From Telescopes to Ventilators in Times of Covid.
In: Filosofia Theoretica : Journal of African Philosophy, Culture and Religions. Vol. 10 (December 2021) Issue 3 . - pp. 79-101.
ISSN 2276-8386
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4314/ft.v10i3.6

Official URL:

Abstract in another language

There is no unproblematic way to study things as “African”, yet an epistemologically situated approach based on concrete technological projects situated in Africa and their social and political implications offers an important account of the intersection of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and African Studies. We explore this perspective through the notion of “indiscipline” using the Square Kilometre Array radio telescope project (SKA) based in South Africa as a case study through which to observe “indiscipline” as a methodological approach to technoscience at work. Indiscipline helps frame the socio-technical (by)products of astrophysics and engineering, and we present the production of ventilators for COVID-19 patients as an example of how the design of mega-science projects can become entangled with the dynamic concerns of society. Our conclusion elaborates on the politics of large technological systems, opening up a conversation on the intersection of science and society in the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution in African settings, using the template of experiences with the SKA and the National Ventilator Project in South Africa.

Further data

Item Type:	Article in a journal
Refereed:	Yes
Keywords:	Transdisciplinarity; Interdisciplinarity; African Studies; SKA; 4IR; National Ventilator Project
Institutions of the University:	Faculties > Faculty of Languages and Literature > Chair African Studies I Faculties > Faculty of Languages and Literature > Chair African Studies I > Chair African Studies I - Univ.-Prof. Dr. Gabriele Sommer Profile Fields > Advanced Fields > African Studies Faculties Faculties > Faculty of Languages and Literature Profile Fields Profile Fields > Advanced Fields
Result of work at the UBT:	Yes
DDC Subjects:	100 Philosophy and psychology > 120 Epistemology 300 Social sciences > 300 Social sciences, sociology and anthropology 500 Science > 520 Astronomy 600 Technology, medicine, applied sciences > 600 Technology 600 Technology, medicine, applied sciences > 620 Engineering
Date Deposited:	10 Jan 2022 14:29
Last Modified:	10 Jan 2022 14:29
URI:	https://eref.uni-bayreuth.de/id/eprint/68271