Do not despair: there is a life after constructivism

Bijker, Wiebe E

Publication year:

1994

Publication place:

Donostia-San Sebastián

ISBN:

84-87471-63-3

Summary

This article reviews recent work in socio-historical techonology studies, Four problems, frecuently mentioned in critical debates, are discussed- relativism, reflexivity, theory, and practice. The main body of the article is devoted to a discussion of the latter two problems. Requirements for a theory on socio-technical change are proposed, and one concrete example of a conceptual framework that meets these requirements is discussed. The second point of the article is to argue that present (science and) technology studies are now able to break away from a too academic, internalistic perspective and returm to the politically relevant "Science, Technology & Society" issues that informed much of this work more than a decade ago.>