MAX-PLANCK-INSTITUT FÜR WISSENSCHAFTSGESCHICHTE Max Planck Institute for the History of Science

Event

May 31, 2022
“Can We Trust Science from China?” Observations around the Ascent of a New Power Player

Discussant: Lisa Onaga

The People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) rapid ascent in the sciences over the past two decades has been met with both fascination and fear. Some consider Chinese science to be shrouded by secrecy. For this camp, the alleged withholding of COVID-related data of the Wuhan Institute of Virology is but one latest example. Others see China as a rising superpower rebelling against Western dominance and biases. The recently terminated "China Initiative’" in the United States is emblematic of the narrative of intolerance and bias. How can we make sense of the conflicting interpretations of China? Do Chinese scientists trust each other? If global mistrust of science from China persists, what are the implications for China, and for international collaborations? More importantly, how can we create conditions to encourage accountable science in and with China? Focusing on China’s development in the life sciences, this talk helps to shed light on these questions.

Biography

  • Joy Y. Zhang (portrait)
    Joy Y. Zhang

    Joy Y. Zhang is a Chinese-born British sociologist with a first degree in medicine. She is the Founding Director of the Centre for Global Science and Epistemic Justice at the University of Kent. She received her PhD from the London School of Economics and Political Science under the supervision of Sarah Franklin. Her thesis was examined by Ulrich Beck and Christoph Rehmann-Sutter. Her research investigates the transnational governance of scientific uncertainty and the decolonisation of knowledge production. Conceptually, her work contributes to sociological theories of risk, cosmopolitanism, decolonisation and subaltern politics. She has undertaken empirical studies on stem cells, synthetic biology, genome editing, food movements and environmental politics. She is the author of four academic monographs: The Cosmopolitanization of Science: Stem Cell Governance in China (2012), Green Politics in China: Environmental Governance and State-Society Relations (2013), The Elephant and the Dragon in Contemporary Life Sciences: A Call for Decolonising Global Governance (2022) and Democratic Participation and the Cosmopolitics of Science: Why Scientific Citizenship Matters in the 21st Century (2023).

Address
Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, Boltzmannstraße 22, 14195 Berlin, Germany
Room
Zoom/Online Meeting Platform
Contact and Registration

This event takes place online. A number of places are available to the public—please email public@mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de by May 28, 2022 to register. For further information about this event, please contact Anna L. Ahlers (office-ahlers@mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de).

Organizers
LISE MEITNER RESEARCH GROUP

 

IC HEADER 2021-22TRUSTING SCIENCE  

This event is part of the MPIWG's Institute's Colloquium 2021–22 series "Trusting Science," which seeks to explore this topic from interdisciplinary, transnational, and longue durée perspectives. Learn more about the series here.

 

Institute's Colloquium Program 2021/22 Virtual Bookshelf (Intranet)

Recording

The event will be recorded for public relations purposes—should you wish not to appear in the recording, please switch off your camera and ask questions via the chat function.

2022-05-31T14:00:00SAVE IN I-CAL 2022-05-31 14:00:00 2022-05-31 15:30:00 “Can We Trust Science from China?” Observations around the Ascent of a New Power Player Discussant: Lisa Onaga The People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) rapid ascent in the sciences over the past two decades has been met with both fascination and fear. Some consider Chinese science to be shrouded by secrecy. For this camp, the alleged withholding of COVID-related data of the Wuhan Institute of Virology is but one latest example. Others see China as a rising superpower rebelling against Western dominance and biases. The recently terminated "China Initiative’" in the United States is emblematic of the narrative of intolerance and bias. How can we make sense of the conflicting interpretations of China? Do Chinese scientists trust each other? If global mistrust of science from China persists, what are the implications for China, and for international collaborations? More importantly, how can we create conditions to encourage accountable science in and with China? Focusing on China’s development in the life sciences, this talk helps to shed light on these questions. Biography Joy Y. Zhang Joy Y. Zhang is a Chinese-born British sociologist with a first degree in medicine. She is the Founding Director of the Centre for Global Science and Epistemic Justice at the University of Kent. She received her PhD from the London School of Economics and Political Science under the supervision of Sarah Franklin. Her thesis was examined by Ulrich Beck and Christoph Rehmann-Sutter. Her research investigates the transnational governance of scientific uncertainty and the decolonisation of knowledge production. Conceptually, her work contributes to sociological theories of risk, cosmopolitanism, decolonisation and subaltern politics. She has undertaken empirical studies on stem cells, synthetic biology, genome editing, food movements and environmental politics. She is the author of four academic monographs: The Cosmopolitanization of Science: Stem Cell Governance in China (2012), Green Politics in China: Environmental Governance and State-Society Relations (2013), The Elephant and the Dragon in Contemporary Life Sciences: A Call for Decolonising Global Governance (2022) and Democratic Participation and the Cosmopolitics of Science: Why Scientific Citizenship Matters in the 21st Century (2023). Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, Boltzmannstraße 22, 14195 Berlin, Germany Zoom/Online Meeting Platform Europe/Berlin public