10/07/2026
2026 台灣科技與社會研究學會年會速記（一）✍️
開場論壇：「給我一個東亞，我將舉起全世界」🌏
東亞科技與社會研究（STS）如何在全球 STS 的脈絡中重新定位自身？論壇以即將在台灣舉辦的Society for Social Studies of Science (4S) 2027年會為重要背景，由台灣STS學會會長王秀雲主持，邀請韓國STS學會會長全致亨 (Jeon Chihyung)、日本STS學會會長山口富子（Yamaguchi Tomiko）、國立臺灣大學社會系主任吳嘉苓，以及4S主席郭文華與談，從韓國、日本與台灣STS社群的發展經驗出發，思考東亞STS如何從被忽略的位置，走向參與甚至形塑全球STS的理論與問題意識。
全致亨會長以韓國 STS 近年的發展為例，指出 STS 並不是象牙塔內的知識，而也能積極介入當代科技公共議題。例如，2026年3月，韓國 STS 社群舉辦以 AlphaGo 十週年為背景的論壇，邀請曾與 AlphaGo 對弈的李世乭（Lee Sedol），以及投入 AlphaFold 相關研究的化學家進行對話。於同年 5 月的會議中，也邀請曾主導前總統彈劾案的憲法法院前大法官文炯培（문형배，Moon Hyung-bae），討論 AI 在法律與司法判斷中的角色。這類活動受到了媒體的關注，因為STS是一門能夠連結科技、政治、法律與社會關切的學科。全會長也因此強調，知識並不只是在閱讀與思考中形成，也是在「聚集、探索、碰撞」（gathering, navigating, colliding）的過程中生成；而東亞則可以成為不同人群、經驗與觀念彼此相遇的重要場域。
山口富子會長則從 4S 年會重返東亞的歷史意義談起。她指出，2010 年 4S 曾於東京舉辦；十七年後，年會再度回到東亞並將於台灣舉行，象徵東亞 STS 社群能見度與重要性的提升。她以傅大為教授 2007 年提出的「How far can East Asian STS go?」為參照，進一步提出今日更應追問：「How can East Asian STS reshape global STS?」山口會長指出，日本 STS 長期關注當代且具實務導向的議題，包括核能、災害與風險、科學傳播、公眾參與、生命科學、醫療、性別與科技治理等。然而，相較之下，從長時段歷史經驗或區域科技軌跡出發的研究仍較為不足。因此，她強調，這些選擇性的分歧與未竟的議程，正提示我們思考如何將日本與東亞的經驗，進一步轉譯為能夠介入全球 STS 討論的概念資源。
吳嘉苓教授回顧台灣STS社群的形成與轉變。她指出，台灣STS早期透過翻譯、讀本、工作坊與國際交流，引介歐美STS理論工具；然而，東亞案例長期在STS教科書中缺席。因此，台灣STS接下來的重要任務，不只是將西方概念應用於本地案例，而是從台灣與東亞經驗出發，發展出能夠介入全球STS討論的新概念。例如「拼裝車」可以用來思考技術如何被組裝、改造，並挑戰正式／非正式、工業／非工業的界線；杜聰明與傳統醫藥現代化的案例，也能重新思考現代科學與傳統醫療之間的關係。吳也進一步指出，東亞STS可以透過比較研究、跨國研究與Global East Asia STS等路徑，將東亞理解為全球科技、知識、資本與政治關係中的重要節點。
郭文華主席則反思「Global STS」本身的意義。他提醒，東亞STS不應只是用國族敘事對抗想像中的西方中心，因為所謂「西方STS」本身也包含歐洲、美國、義大利、希臘、土耳其等不同傳統，不能被過度簡化。郭因此指出，若東亞STS只是要求被納入、被引用、被看見，仍是一種被動姿態。相較之下，東亞STS應更主動建立跨區域關係，並透過共同課程與工作坊，進一步思考應將哪些知識、關係與友誼傳遞給下一代。郭文華也因此呼籲與會者重新找回東亞STS社群之間那些「失落的連結（missing links）」或「被遺忘的關係（missing connections）」。他認為，東亞STS未來的任務不僅是保存各自的地方傳統，而是需要重新發掘那些長久以來串聯東亞的理論、人物、友誼與各種關係，並讓這些曾被遺忘的連結再次成為知識生產的重要基礎。
論壇最終指向一項共同的野心：讓東亞不只是Global STS中的被觀看者，而是從自身尚未被充分理解的故事、技術、歷史與關係出發，成為重新想像Global STS的重要起點。隨著4S 2027即將在台灣舉辦，台灣與東亞STS也將迎來一次重要契機，從地方經驗出發，進一步參與並形塑全球STS的未來方向。
記錄：洪旻淵
照片提供：國立陽明交通大學科技與社會研究所、台灣科技與社會研究學會
2026 Taiwan Association for Science, Technology and Society Annual Conference Notes 1✍️
Opening Plenary: Give us East Asian STS, and We Will Raise the World🌏
How might East Asian science and technology studies (STS) reposition itself within the broader landscape of global STS? This question framed the opening plenary, which took the upcoming 2027 Annual Meeting of the Society for Social Studies of Science (4S) in Taiwan as its point of departure. Chaired by Wang Hsiu-yun, President of the Taiwan STS Association, the forum brought together Jeon Chihyung, President of the Korean STS Association; Yamaguchi Tomiko, President of the Japanese STS Association; Wu Chia-ling, Chair of the Department of Sociology at National Taiwan University; and Kuo Wen-hua, President of 4S. Drawing on the experiences of STS communities in Korea, Japan, and Taiwan, the discussion explored how East Asian STS might move from a position of marginality toward active participation in, and even the reshaping of, the theoretical agendas and problematics of global STS.
Jeon Chihyung began by discussing recent developments in Korean STS. He emphasized that STS is not merely an academic practice confined to the university, but can also actively intervene in contemporary public issues surrounding science and technology. For instance, in March 2026, the Korean STS community organized a forum marking the tenth anniversary of AlphaGo, inviting Lee Sedol, who famously played against AlphaGo, to engage in dialogue with a chemist involved in AlphaFold-related research. At another conference in May 2026, the community invited Moon Hyung-bae, a former Justice of the Constitutional Court of Korea who played a leading role in the impeachment case of a former president, to discuss the role of AI in law and judicial decision-making. These events attracted media attention precisely because STS is a discipline capable of connecting technology, politics, law, and broader social concerns. Jeon therefore stressed that knowledge is formed not only through reading and reflection, but also through processes of “gathering, navigating, and colliding.” In this sense, East Asia can become an important meeting ground where different communities, experiences, and ideas encounter one another.
Yamaguchi Tomiko then reflected on the historical significance of 4S returning to East Asia. She noted that 4S was previously held in Tokyo in 2010; seventeen years later, its return to East Asia through Taiwan signals the growing visibility and importance of East Asian STS communities. Referring to Fu Daiwie’s 2007 question, “How far can East Asian STS go?”, Yamaguchi suggested that we should now ask instead: “How can East Asian STS reshape global STS?” She pointed out that Japanese STS has long been concerned with contemporary and practically oriented issues, including nuclear energy, disasters and risk, science communication, public participation, life sciences, medicine, gender, and technology governance. By contrast, research grounded in long-term historical experience or regional technological trajectories remains comparatively underdeveloped. For Yamaguchi, these selective divergences and unfinished agendas invite us to consider how Japanese and East Asian experiences might be translated into conceptual resources capable of intervening in global STS debates.
Wu Chia-ling reviewed the formation and transformation of the Taiwan STS community. She noted that early Taiwanese STS introduced Euro-American STS theories through translation, readers, workshops, and international exchanges. However, East Asian cases have long remained absent from STS textbooks. The next task for Taiwan STS, therefore, is not simply to apply Western concepts to local cases, but to develop new concepts from Taiwanese and East Asian experiences that can intervene in global STS discussions. For example, the idea of the “assembled car” can help us think about how technologies are assembled and modified while challenging the boundaries between the formal and informal, and between the industrial and non-industrial. The case of Tu Tsung-ming and the modernization of traditional medicine also offers a way to rethink the relationship between modern science and traditional medical practices. Wu further suggested that East Asian STS can approach the region through comparative research, transnational studies, and “Global East Asian STS,” treating East Asia as a crucial node in global relations of technology, knowledge, capital, and politics.
Kuo Wen-hua reflected on the meaning of “Global STS” itself. He cautioned that East Asian STS should not simply mobilize nationalist narratives against an imagined Western center, since what is often called “Western STS” itself encompasses diverse traditions from Europe, the United States, Italy, Greece, Turkey, and beyond, and therefore should not be overly simplified. Kuo argued that if East Asian STS merely seeks to be included, cited, or made visible, it remains in a passive position. Instead, East Asian STS should take a more active role in building cross-regional relationships and, through collaborative courses and workshops, further consider what kinds of knowledge, relationships, and friendships should be passed on to the next generation. Thus, Kuo also urged participants to recover the “missing links” or “missing connections” among East Asian STS communities. He suggested that the future task of East Asian STS is not simply to preserve each community’s local traditions, but to rediscover the theories, figures, friendships, and relations that have long connected East Asia, and to allow these forgotten connections to once again become a vital foundation for knowledge production.
Ultimately, the plenary pointed toward a shared ambition: to make East Asia not merely an object to be seen within Global STS, but a starting point for reimagining Global STS through stories, technologies, histories, and relationships that have not yet been fully understood. As 4S 2027 approaches in Taiwan, Taiwanese and East Asian STS are facing an important opportunity to move from local experiences toward deeper participation in, and active reshaping of, the future directions of global STS.
Recorded by: Marcus Hung Min-Yuan
Photos courtesy of: Institute of Science, Technology and Society, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University; Taiwan STS Association
