Abstract

QUEVEDO, Josemari; CARVALHO, António; FONSECA, Paulo  and  NUNES, João Arriscado. Science, emerging technologies and society: The case of the debates on nanotechnologies in Portugal. Forum Sociológico [online]. 2019, n.35, pp.73-81.  Epub July 28, 2021. ISSN 0872-8380.  https://doi.org/10.4000/sociologico.8891.

This article explores public engagement with nanotechnologies in Portugal, focusing on two case studies : the European project DEEPEN (Deepening Ethical Engagement and Participation in Emerging Nanotechnologies), that involved the Centre for Social Studies of the University of Coimbra, and the International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory (INL) in Braga. By resorting to literature stemming from Science and Technology Studies and to qualitative methodologies - focus groups, semi-structured interviews and participant observation -, it is argued that the two case studies display distinct ecologies of participation and ways of operationalizing the relationship between science and society. The article reinforces the role of methodological, institutional and material dimensions in the construction of devices of public engagement with technologies, as well as the difficulty in integrating social scientists in nanotechnology research.

Keywords : nanotechnologies; public engagement with science and technology; responsible research and innovation.

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