Mobilizing for Science

This book is a pioneering exploration of science and society through insights gathered from social movements in India post-Independence. Based on rigorous empirical investigation of civil society organizations, it unearths the geneaology of science activism in India while raising pertinents questions on science-society coupling.

This interdisciplinary volume spotlights cases and focused content which thoroughly analyses mobilization, institutionalization and how science movement organizations have emerged and changed since independence. Drawing out theoretical perspectives on the people’s science movement in India, it identifies new areas of research in science, technology and society studies.

Written in a lucid and engaging style, this book will be useful to the departments of Sociology, Anthropology, Philosophy, Political Science, Education, Social Work, Development Studies, Science and Technology Studies and South Asian Studies. It would also be useful to social activists, social workers and professionals in the voluntary sector.

Subhasis Sahoo is Assistant Professor at the Department of Sociology, University of Allahabad. He holds MA and MPhil from University of Hyderabad and earned his doctoral degree in Sociology from IIT Kanpur. He was selected for International Visiting Faculty at Bielefeld University, Germany and an Overseas Young Scholar at Japan Sociological Society (JSS), Tokyo and Visiting Fellow at National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER), Bhubaneswar. He taught at Delhi School of Economics and Sri Venkateswar College, University of Delhi. He has previously worked at the Institute for Human Development (IHD), Delhi; National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER), New Delhi; The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), New Delhi and University of Hyderabad. He is the recipients of prestigious Professor M. N. Srinivas Memorial Award for the Young Sociologist; Professor Radhakamal Mukherjee Memorial Award for the Young Social Scientist; the CIGA Grants of University of Padova, Italy; CNMT Grants of Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul; Revolving Fund Scholarship of University of California, Los Angeles, USA. His writings have been appeared in three languages including English, Hindi and Odia. His research interests include sociology of science and technology, social movements, public policy, knowledge systems, religion and society, urban ecology, identity and indigenous groups, social stratification and education, material culture, innovation and entrepreneurship.