Extitutions and security : movement as code

How can we guarantee the security of our means of transport? How can we strengthen that of our communications? How can we keep our ideology or our market safe? Etc. In this context, the press has recently been asking whether it is possible to be 100% certain that a person is not concealing a dangerous item on passing through an airport control. Nonetheless, technical solutions may be about to alter the aforementioned scenario. Indeed, the authorities in a number of countries have decided to install scanners at airports that allow people to be completely undressed without having to remove their clothes. The protests which have been voiced, quite reasonably, against this measure have been completely stifled by arguments based on security. Just a glance at the press in any European country in the last few days will confirm this affirmation. The example of scanners has not been a random choice to begin this article. It has to do with the fact that airports are truly a unique place to illustrate one of the most characteristic phenomena of our current societies: the need to manage mobility and security in unison. However, from our point of view security is much more than an excuse for legitimising procedures for surveillance and control, or a characteristic feature of contemporary states. It constitutes the very logic of such states. It is characterised by circulation and movement, and it operates as an authentic code that is capable of generating new forms of sociality and regimes of powerComo podemos garantir a segurança em nossos meios de transporte? Como podemos reforçar nossa comunicação? Como podemos manter nossa ideologia ou nosso mercado seguros? Etc. Neste contexto, a mídia impressa tem sido recentemente questionada sobre a possibilidade de estar 100% seguro de que uma pessoa não está ocultando um item perigoso ao passar pelo controle do aeroporto. Não obstante, soluções técnicas podem estar prestes a alterar o referido cenário. Em realidade, as autoridades de vários países decidiram instalar scanners nos aeroportos que permitem visualizar pessoas completamente despidas, sem que retirem a roupa. Os protestos realizados contra esta medida têm sido completamente suprimidos pelos argumentos baseados na segurança. Basta uma olhada sobre a mídia impressa, em qualquer país europeu, nos últimos cinco dias para confirmar esta afirmação. O exemplo dos scanners não é uma escolha aleatória para iniciar este artigo. Diz respeito ao fato de que os aeroportos são verdadeiramente o único lugar para ilustrar um dos fenômenos mais característicos de nossas sociedades atuais: a necessidade de lidar com a mobilidade e a segurança em uníssono. Todavia, de nosso ponto de vista, a segurança é muito mais do que uma desculpa para legitimar procedimentos de vigilância e controle, ou uma característica das condições contemporâneas. É caracterizada pela circulação e movimento e opera como um autêntico código que é capaz de gerar novas formas de sociabilidade e regimes de poder

Tecnología y poder. : Un análisis foucaultiano de los discursos acerca de la monitorización electrónica

Nuestro trabajo pretende mostrar, por un lado, la importancia de la influencia FOUCAULTiana en los estudios sobre ciencia y tecnología y, por otro, mostrar de qué manera puede utilizarse el pensamiento de FOUCAULT para un estudio de las relaciones entre ciencia, tecnología y sociedad que tenga en cuenta los efectos de poder Para ilustrar la relevancia de estas herramientas analizamos la emergencia de una innovación concreta: la monitorización electrónica en el ámbito penitenciario. Pretendemos cartografiar las discontinuidades, las dispersiones del discurso, que sostienen las prácticas que hacen irrumpir y desarrollarse las diferentes materializaciones del dispositivo electrónico de control penitenciario. Al situar el análisis en el marco de la pregunta por las tecnologías de poder, más que analizar simplemente las ideologías y saberes que legitiman la monitorización electrónica, o sus capacidades técnicas, queremos reseguir el conjunto de discursos, retóricas, vocabularios, técnicas y procedimientos por los cuales el saber se entrelaza, da forma y se inscribe en el ejercicio del poder. Así mostraremos cómo la tecnología disciplinaria, una de las tecnologías de poder que FOUCAULT mejor describió para explicar nuestras sociedades, se articula, alimenta o se contradice con otras lógicas emergentes dibujando nuevas formas de regulación y control socialThe article aims to show the importance of FOUCAULT within social studies of science and technology. It also illustrates how a Foucauldian analysis can be useful for studies of science, technology and society focused on power effects. To accomplish these objectives we analyze the emergence of a specific techno-scientific innovation: the electronic monitoring of offenders. We map the discontinuities and discourse dispersions linked to those practices that constitute different materializations of this electronic device. Because we start from questions concerning power technologies, rather than simply analyzing the ideologies and knowledges that legitimate electronic monitoring and its technical reliability, we attend to the assemblage of discourses, rhetorics, vocabularies, techniques and procedures by which knowledge is intertwined and joins with the exercise of power. In this way, we show how one of FOUCAULT's technologies of power-disciplinary technology-is articulated, nourished and contradicted by other emergent logics drawing on new forms of regulation and social contro

The reconfiguration of biobanks in Europe under the BBMRI-ERIC framework : towards global sharing nodes?

The research presented in this paper was made possible by "la Caixa" Foundation (ID 100010434), under agreement LCF/BQ/DE17/11600017Freezers with biospecimen deposits became biobanks and later were networked at the pan-European level in 2013 under the Biobanking and BioMolecular Resources Research Infrastructure-European Research Infrastructure Consortium (BBMRI-ERIC). Drawing on document analysis about the BBMRI-ERIC and multi-sited fieldwork with biobankers in Spain from a science and technology studies approach, we explore what biobanks are expected to do and become under the BBMRI-ERIC framework, and how infrastructural transitions promote particular transformations in biobanking practices. The primary purpose of biobanks in Europe is presented as being to become mediators in contemporary biomedical research (global sharing nodes) distribution, and distributed nodes of samples and their associated data. We argue that infrastructural transitions are complicated and heterogeneous, giving rise to unattended local concerns on adjusting their practices to fit into the BBMRI-ERIC framework, even for non-members, as the case of Spain illustrates, where "old practices" of collection and storage are questioned. In this article, we aim to encourage qualitative studies to explore the lags between pan-European policies and prospects, different contextual interpretations, and biobanking reconfigurations as an opportunity to explore what that lag is made of (e.g. tensions with "old practices," unresolved conflicts with the national agendas, reservations on a possible centralization of the biobanking practices by regional biobanks, lack of funding, etc.). Such research could enrich not only policy guidance, but also the understanding of technoscientific infrastructures' scalability

La mancomunidad de política hidrológica española : sectores y trayectorias políticas en Internet

En este trabajo nos acercamos a la transformación que la política de aguas española ha sufrido en las últimas décadas. La erosión de una cohesionada comunidad de política hidráulica ha dado paso a una red extendida y plural en la que se debate la política hidrológica contemporánea. En esta última, un nuevo discurso sobre la sostenibilidad (la «Nueva Cultura del Agua») articula a nuevos actores estatales y no estatales en torno a una novedosa «política de asuntos». A partir de la aplicación de estrategias de investigación extraídas de los análisis de controversias públicas en Internet, documentamos este fenómeno. Concretamente, rastreamos la red de la «Nueva Cultura del Agua» en la web, analizamos su estructura y reflexionamos sobre el sentido político de su historia. A partir del estudio realizado, proponemos la emergencia de una mancomunidad de política hidrológica en Internet.This paper deals with the transformation that water policy in Spain has undergone in recent decades. The erosion of a strongly united hydraulic policy community has given way to a widespread and plural network in which modern hydrological policy is under discussion. In this network, a new discourse about sustainability (the «New Water Culture») brings new State and non-governmental actors together in an innovative form of «issue politics». We document this phenomenon by using research strategies drawn from analyses of public issues on the Internet. More precisely, we trace the «New Water Culture» network on the Web, analyse its structure and consider the political meaning of its history. On the basis of the study carried out, we claim that a hydrological policy commonwealth has emerged on the Internet

Care Networking : a Study of Technical Mediations in a Home Telecare Service

This article examines the processes of technical mediation within familial care networks based on a study of home telecare targeted at older people. upported by contributions from the actor-network theory as part of the social psychology of science and technology, these processes of technical mediation are analyzed using a qualitative approach. The data were gathered through six focus groups and four in-depth interviews; the participants in the study included users, relatives and formal carers. Thematic analysis techniques encompassing the information were used, revealing the effects on the patterns of caring relationships. The results show the interplay between presence-absence made possible by the devices; the two-way direction of care between the older people and the artifacts; and the process of sustaining care using the technology. We conclude that care should be seen as a socio-technical network where technology plays an active role in sustaining family relationships

Caring in the in-between : a proposal to introduce responsible AI and robotics to healthcare

Altres ajuts: Acord transformatiu CRUE-CSICIn the scenario of growing polarization of promises and dangers that surround artifcial intelligence (AI), how to introduce responsible AI and robotics in healthcare? In this paper, we develop an ethical-political approach to introduce democratic mechanisms to technological development, what we call "Caring in the In-Between". Focusing on the multiple possibilities for action that emerge in the realm of uncertainty, we propose an ethical and responsible framework focused on care actions in between fears and hopes. Using the theoretical perspective of Science and Technology Studies and empirical research, "Caring in the In-Between" is based on three movements: the frst is a change of focus from the world of promises and dangers to the world of uncertainties; the second is a conceptual shift from assuming a relationship with robotics based on a Human-Robot Interaction to another focused on the network in which the robot is embedded (the "Robot Embedded in a Network"); and the last is an ethical shift from a general normative framework to a discussion on the context of use. Based on these suggestions, "Caring in the In-Between" implies institutional challenges, as well as new practices in healthcare systems. It is articulated around three simultaneous processes, each of them related to practical actions in the "in-between" dimensions considered: monitoring relations and caring processes, through public engagement and institutional changes; including concerns and priorities of stakeholders, with the organization of participatory processes and alternative forms of representation; and making fears and hopes commensurable, through the choice of progressive and reversible actions

Stop burning garbage!exploring an anti-waste-to-energy social movement and its effects on local politics in Spain

Altres ajuts: acord transformatiu CRUE-CSICIn 2019, news of the opening of a waste incinerator sparked a socio-environmental controversy in a village in the Pyrenees in Catalonia (Spain). With the aim of influencing local public policies and taking part in the decision making around the project, a group of neighbors formed a citizen platform called the Cercs Anti-incineration Platform (PAIC). In this case study, we present the strategies that the activists followed to become an influential actor in local and regional politics. We describe how a group of citizens became a translocal assemblage and what obstacles were encountered with interaction and administrations. Finally, we highlight the need to broaden the concept of public participation within administrations

Démocratiser la science. Un défi toujours d'actualité

Avec les sociétés de la connaissance, le rôle des savoirs experts s'est renforcé dans tous les domaines de la vie sociale. Quand ils touchent les processus délibératifs et la décision politique, leur rôle questionne la qualité et la nature des dispositifs démocratiques contemporains, compte tenu de l'éloignement de la citoyenneté qu'ils produisent dans les affaires publiques. La demande pour une démocratisation de la science a été l'une des réponses les plus fréquentes proposées à ce problème dans les études sur les sciences et technologies depuis le début du 21e siècle. Cet article suggère qu'il s'agit toujours d'un défi actuel et que cela a à voir essentiellement avec le fait qu'il a été abordé à partir de conceptions de la science et du politique qui en faisaient un objectif difficilement atteignable, voire impossible. Considérant toutefois que sa pertinence n'a pas cessé d'être avérée, l'article formule quelques suggestions quant à ce que pourraient être les questions et les thèmes à traiter pour que la démocratisation du projet scientifique devienne un projet sensé pour notre disciplineCon las sociedades del conocimiento, se ha ido consolidando el papel cada vez más importante del conocimiento experto en todas las esferas de la vida social. Cuando ello ha alcanzado a los procesos deliberativos y de toma de decisiones políticas, ha llegado a poner en cuestión la calidad y la naturaleza de los dispositivos democráticos contemporáneos, dado el alejamiento que produce de la ciudadanía respecto de los asuntos públicos. La demanda de una democratización de la ciencia ha sido una de las respuestas más recurrentes de las que se han dado a ese problema desde de los estudios de la ciencia y la tecnología a lo largo del siglo XXI. En este artículo se plantea que se trata aún de un reto pendiente y que ello tiene que ver, esencialmente, con el hecho de haberse abordado desde concepciones de la ciencia y la política que hacían de él un logro difícilmente -si acaso posible- alcanzable. Considerando que, no obstante, su pertinencia no ha dejado de tener vigencia, se plantean, asimismo, algunas sugerencias acerca de cuáles podrían ser los asuntos y temáticas que deberían abordarse para hacer de la democratización de la ciencia un proyecto con pleno sentido para nuestra disciplinaWith knowledge societies, the role of expert knowledge has grown to cover all areas of social life. When it affects deliberative processes and political decision-making, this role questions the quality and nature of contemporary democratic systems owing to the distance it sets up between citizenship and public matters. The demand for a democratisation of science has been one of the most frequently proposed responses to this problem in science and technology studies since the start of the 21st century. This challenge is still on-going, mainly due to the fact that it has been addressed through conceptions of science and politics that have turned it into a difficult-to-achieve if not impossible objective. While recognising that the relevance of this challenge has never been doubted, this article puts forward a number of suggestions as to what topics and questions might be dealt with for this project to democratise science to make sense for our disciplin

Lo virtual y lo social

Este texto sostiene que lo virtual no es algo nuevo, algo que observamos como resultado de la proliferaci&oacute;n de las tecnolog&iacute;as de la informaci&oacute;n y la comunicaci&oacute;n.&nbsp; Por el contrario, &ldquo;virtual&rdquo; es una noci&oacute;n con una larga historia. La palabra&nbsp; proviene del lat&iacute;n &quot;virtualis&rdquo;, vocablo derivado de &quot;virtus&quot;:&nbsp; fuerza, potencia.&nbsp; En la filosof&iacute;a escol&aacute;stica, lo virtual es lo que existe potencialmente pero no en acto. &Eacute;sta es la raz&oacute;n por la cual autores como Levy (1998) arguyen que virtual no se opone a lo verdadero, sino a lo real. Este escrito desarrolla el t&eacute;rmino &ldquo;virtual&rdquo; apoy&aacute;ndose en las tesis del mencionado Levy y&nbsp; Michel Serres (1994).&nbsp; En Atlas, Serres caracteriza lo &ldquo;virtual&rdquo; como. La imaginaci&oacute;n, la lengua, el conocimiento, la religi&oacute;n o la ficci&oacute;n son modos de ser-fuera-de-ah&iacute;. Sin embargo, las TIC&rsquo;s permiten que volvamos a descubrir o que reinventemos lo virtual.&nbsp; Algunos de los casos que presentamos aqu&iacute; pretenden ilustrar tanto ese redescubrimiento de lo virtual como dar inteligibilidad a algunos procesos y relaciones que caracterizan nuestro presente. En ese sentido, la noci&oacute;n de &ldquo;virtual&rdquo; es &uacute;til para entender, por ejemplo, la tensi&oacute;n local-global, la creaci&oacute;n de colectividades sin lugar espec&iacute;fico y formas de gobierno inesperadas que se alejan de las implementadas por las viejas instituciones. <br /

A Emoção é o Consumo : subjetivação e Agenciamentos da Vida Capital

Este artigo se propõe a entender que a emoção, nos dias de hoje, é o próprio consumo e os processos de subjetivação atravessados nessa relação. Para isso, começa mapeando as transformações de uma sociedade industrial para uma sociedade pósindustrial, e a captura da vida por parte do capitalismo. Aponta, ainda, como a idéia de agenciamento, de Deleuze e Guattari, tem sido uma potente ferramenta, na medida em que problematiza os aspectos materiais, sociais e semióticos envolvidos nessa sensibilidade.In this article we argue that the concept of emotion has mutated into mere consumption, and we explore the processes of subjectification involved. We start by outlining the transformation of an industrial society into a postindustrial one. We then show the usefulness of Deleuze and Guattari's concept of 'assemblage', insofar as it problematizes the material, social and semiotic aspects involved