ABSTRACT

The discourse and practice of science are deeply connected to explicit and implicit narratives of nature. However, nature has been understood in diverse ways by cultures across the world. Could these different views of nature generate the possibility of alternate views on science? Part of the innovative series Science and Technology Studies, this volume looks at different conceptualizations of nature and the manner in which they structure the practice of the sciences. The essays draw upon philosophy, history, sociology, religion, feminism, mathematics and cultural studies, and establish a dialogue between cultures through a multi-disciplinary exploration of science. With contributions from major scholars in the field, this volume will deeply interest scholars and students of science and technology studies; sociology, history and philosophy of science; as also environmental studies.

chapter |11 pages

Introduction

chapter Two|22 pages

Nature, body and woman

An Indian perspective on value dualisms

chapter Three|36 pages

Revealed truth and homosexuality in the West

Christianity and science in Foucaultian perspective

chapter Five|24 pages

Is food natural or cultural?

Food, body and the mind in Indian medical traditions

chapter Six|19 pages

Placing and moving knowledge

East and West, North and South

chapter Nine|25 pages

Eastern mathematics, Western mathematics

Shall the Twain ever meet?

chapter Twelve|44 pages

The ‘relocation’ of technology between East and West

Stationary steam engines and steamboats in India in the early nineteenth century

chapter Thirteen|20 pages

The production and distribution of pharmaceutical clinical trial knowledge

Case studies in the political economy of scientific knowledge