Away with linguists! Normativity, inequality and metascientific reflexivity in sociolinguistic fieldwork

This paper addresses the fact that in spite of the descriptive and well-intentioned ambitions of much sociolinguistic-ethnographic research, members of studied groups often continue to interpret such research as a largely vertically organized socio-political activity that communicates a prescriptive social and linguistic normativity the researcher is inevitably taken to embody. We argue that while many researchers agree that sociolinguistic fieldwork is inherently political, actual descriptions of informants' awareness of this are still rather scarce. In the process, we demonstrate how members' metascientific reflexivity can be particularly active precisely in and during fieldwork encounters and in the entire research event, complicating the idea of a pure and disinterested description and understanding

Regulating nanotechnologies: risk, uncertainty and the global governance gap

This article builds on research for a two-year project on nanotechnology regulation in the US and Europe (2008–09), which was funded by the European Commission. We are grateful to our collaborators in this project, at the London School of Economics, Chatham House, Environmental Law Institute and Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies, and especially Linda Breggin, Jay Pendergrass and Read Porter. We also received helpful suggestions from three anonymous reviewers and would like to thank them for their advice. Any remaining errors are our own. Nanosciences and nanotechnologies are set to transform the global industrial landscape, but the debate on how to regulate environmental, health and safety risks is lagging behind technological innovation. Current regulatory efforts are primarily focused on the national and regional level, while the international dimensions of nanotechnology governance are still poorly understood and rarely feature on the international agenda. However, with the ongoing globalization of nanosciences and the rapid expansion of international trade in nanomaterials, demand for international coordination and harmonization of regulatory approaches is set to increase. Yet, uncertainty about nanotechnology risk poses a profound dilemma for regulators and policy-makers. Uncertainty both creates demand for and stands in the way of greater international cooperation and harmonization of regulatory approaches. This article reviews the emerging debate on nanotechnology risk and regulatory approaches, investigates the current state of international cooperation and outlines the critical contribution that a global governance approach can make to the safe development of nanotechnologie

Der Aufstieg der Jesuiten: Bürokratie als Schlüssel zur Macht : Markus Friedrich mit dem wichtigsten deutschen Preis für Nachwuchswissenschaftler ausgezeichnet

Der Neuzeit-Historiker Markus Friedrich erhielt im Mai den Heinz Maier-Leibnitz-Preis, den wichtigsten deutschen Wissenschaftspreis für Nachwuchswissenschaftler. Der 36-Jährige, der 2010 seine Habilitation abgeschlossen hat und seit 2005 am Historischen Seminar der Universität Frankfurt forscht und lehrt, vertritt zurzeit eine Professur für Neuere Geschichte und Frühe Neuzeit an der Rostocker Universität. Mit Friedrich bekamen fünf weitere junge Wissenschaftler den jeweils mit 16.000 Euro dotierten Preis, für den insgesamt 145 Kandidaten aus allen Fachgebieten vorgeschlagen worden waren

"Nie aufgegeben" : Jiri Kosta und die Geschichte einer dreifachen Verfolgung

Rezension zu: Jiri Kosta. "Nie aufgegeben" - Ein Leben zwischen Bangen und Hoffen, Verlag Philo, Berlin 2001, ISBN 3-83257-0242-1, 180 S., 32,50 D

The Neue Nationalgalerie: the Refurbishment of a Modern Monument

After 46 years of continuous use, Mies van der Rohe's Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin closed its doors to start works on its refurbishment. Being a masterpiece of the second half of the 20th century, conventional standards in terms of dealing with high-level heritage must be adhered to. The quality of this refurbishment can be found in the project’s holistic approach. Not only by taking into account the visual integrity but also by paying attention to its physical substance, time-bound and classical elements, the added value of the project is created