A dissertation review of Biophysics, Rockets, and the State: The Making of a Scientific Discipline in Twentieth-Century China, (original) (raw)
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A History of Biophysics in Contemporary China by Christine Yi Lai Luk
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This is a study about the history of biophysics—a subject that has fascinated me ever since the first semester of my doctoral program. I had no previous training in the science of biophysics, nor did I have an obsession involving the latest micro- scope technology, nor did I have any familial, cultural, or personal predilection for biophysics. What fascinated me was that biophysics did not have a definite set of subfields or a university-wide department of its own in the United States. Different academic institutions invented their own rules to incorporate biophysics into dif- ferent schools and departments, and different people used terms like “biophysics” and “biophysicists” to mean different things. Yet, despite the lack of a formal definition in this field, there was nevertheless a great deal of optimism surrounding its future.
The 'Problem' of Science in China
East Asian Science, Technology and Society: an International Journal, 2009
The overall 'problem' in early accounts of science and/or medicine in China seemed to center upon whether or not China possessed or could acquire modern Western science. However, in the twenty-first century there is now little debate over whether or not China has science. Yet, questions and concerns about science in China linger. The 'problem' of science in China has moved away from a paradigm focused on possession or capability, to that of the correct or ethical application of Chinese science and technology. In this essay, I will argue that the shifting of the so-called problem of Chinese science reflects larger Western concerns about the definition and control of science itself, the rise of China as an international power, and the ability to 'compete' in a global market predicated on the creation and application of new science and technologies.
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Science and Culture: The West and China, a Broader View (2014)
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East Asian Science, Technology, and Society, 2019
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East Asian Science, Technology and Society: An International Journal, 2019
This essay offers commentary on the previous three articles regarding PRC-era science by Sarah Mellors, Chuan Xu, and Sigrid Schmalzer. It notes that by moving beyond older concerns that were centered on issues of state control or techno-nationalism, these articles exemplify new directions in the study of PRC-era science. Their focus on lived experience, local stories, and materiality provides rich and diverse perspectives on histories of science in the PRC by exposing the often contradictory ways in which the power and influence of science operated across society. The commentary concludes by identifying three pathways for future research.