Imagining the future through revisiting the past: the value of history in thinking about R(R)I’s possible future(s)

ABSTRACT

Despite reflexivity being held up as a core pillar of Responsible Research and Innovation (R(R)I), actors in the field have yet to consider the importance of R(R)I's history. Acknowledging field has multiple histories, not only the ones that are told but also the ones that could be told, is necessary in order to meet the requirement of reflexivity. Inspired by the notion of ANTihistory, I therefore propose an alternative historiography. Based on ethnographic and archival research, I trace some of the interactions between early iterations of Science and Technology Studies (STS) and Technology Assessment (TA) which do not regularly feature as a part of R(R)I's established history, thereby drawing attention to potentially ‘forgotten' or ‘neglected' histories. I also propose the Appropriate Technology (AT) movement as an ‘alternative' forebear of R(R)I. I argue that the interpretative richness offered by empirical historical analysis provides insights for thinking about R(R)I’s possible future(s).

KEYWORDS:

• Responsible innovation
• responsible research and innovation
• narratives
• critical history
• reflexivity
• futures

Acknowledgements

The author wishes to thank the librarians and archivists at the Special Collections & Archives of Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT, USA, and of the Harvard University Archives, Pusey Library, Cambridge, MA. The author would also like to thank all members of the R(R)I community who contributed to this research by kindly sharing their thoughts and reflections with her regarding the history of R(R)I at various events since 2017—particular thanks to those who also gave their time to be interviewed for the project. Thanks also to my supervisors Cyrus Mody and Darryl Cressman, and colleagues Rachel Allison and Ricky Janssen for helpful advice and comments while developing this manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1 The ECSITE network brings together over 350 science centres and museums. A description of the session can be found on their website: Accessed September 14, 2020. from https://www.ecsite.eu/activities-and-services/ecsite-events/conferences/sessions/rip-rri.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at Maastricht University.

Notes on contributors

Danielle Shanley

Danielle Shanley is a PhD candidate in the History Department at Maastricht University and a member of the Maastricht University Science and Technology Studies (MUSTS) research group. Her current PhD project looks at the history of ideas surrounding responsible innovation in a global context.