The workshop is born out of our common interest on contemporary scientific practice and the changes it is going through. We’d like to:

(1) Discuss and analyse some of the recent changes both in scientific research and in academic institutions, having to do with broader economic and policy trends such as knowledge economy, accountability, entrepreneurial state, new public management… Themes that are variously referred to in literature as ‘academic capitalism’, ‘neoliberal science’, ‘accelerated academy’, etc.

(2) Discuss and analyse experiences, within and outside academia, that either promote science in alternative ways or counteract present mainstream trends with specific initiatives. These would include work by independent scientific organizations, consumer and patient associations, NGOs… as well as movements for slow, weak or little science. There is a need, we think, to clarify the relation amongst these modes of research and knowledge making, and also their relation as a whole with fast, strong, big science.

This would be very much an exploratory meeting, with a view to connect work in progress from different perspectives and help us think about how to best to pursue research on these issues