Work in Progress: Proposal for Comparative Studies on East Asia

A variety of topics on advanced sciences (nuclear power, nanotechnology, etc.) can be pointed out as a defining feature of the JSTS journal. Conversely, discussions of mass media analysis (particularly on quantitative analysis) and science journalism are not seen in the EASTS journal. The JSTS journal lacks articles on historical research and investigations of colonial science. One possible reason for the lack of historical studies may be a local division of labor with the History of Science Society of Japan. At the same time, the discussion of feminism and postcolonial STS are minor topics in the JSTS journal. In JSTS volume 7, a special topic “women and science” was featured, the articles were largely limited to gender biases in science, such as the ratio of women scientists.

The EASTS journal exhibits a richness of historical studies of colonial science, and several ethnographic studies to investigate local knowledge were observed as part of this historical approach; the richness of content on “bio/medical science”connected to keywords such as feminism, the body, family, and globalization. There are few mass media analyses, science journalism, or quantitative surveys. (158)