MAX-PLANCK-INSTITUT FÜR WISSENSCHAFTSGESCHICHTE Max Planck Institute for the History of Science

Event

May 10, 2021
What Does South-to-South Mean for Cold War Science and Technology in Asia

This workshop examines the role and significance of science and technology at the intersections of post-colonial, post-empire, and Cold-War dynamics in Asia, with a focus on the transformative period of the 1950s–1970s. Specialists on Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, China, and Vietnam will collaboratively highlight Asia-to-Asia and South-to-South connections to productively challenge the conventional Cold War science narrative of US-centered technology transfer. The workshop will be organized specifically to engage in active discussions among the panelists and with the audience (i.e., those working on the Cold War history of science/technology/medicine at MPIWG and beyond). Panelists will make short presentations based on current projects, which will be followed by an open discussion at the end.

Last year, a small roundtable discussion was planned in honor of Aaron S. Moore but was cancelled due to the pandemic. We are proposing this workshop in its place; Aaron would have been excited to be part of this collaboration.

Aims
(1) to explore new directions of "Cold War science and technology" from the Asia-to-Asia/South-to-South perspectives; (2) to explore new narratives to reexamine developmentalism, environment, and geopolitics; and (3) to create a working network among specialists on various Asian countries and to discuss further collaboration such as a journal special issue.

Program
Welcome (Lisa Onaga)

Panel I: Asia-to-Asia (Moderator: Roberto Lalli)

  • John DiMoia (Seoul National University, Korea): Civic Actions by the Pigeon Unit, 1964–1973
  • Simon Toner (University of Sheffield, UK): Mobilizing Private Capital in Wartime: South Vietnam’s Rural Banks, 1969–1975
  • Eric Dinmore (Hampden-Sydney College, USA): Petroleum Commodity Chains in Cold War Asia, 1955–1975
  • Jaehwan Hyun (Pusan National University, Korea): Cold War Environmentalism in a South Korean Context, 1962–1976

Panel II: Asia-to-South (Moderator: Lisa Onaga)

  • James Lin (University of Washington, USA): Taiwanese Agricultural Development in Africa, 1959–1975
  • Elise Burton (University of Toronto, Canada): Iran as Ethnic Homeland or Racial Crossroads: Indian and Japanese Approaches to Iranian Genetics
  • Hiromi Mizuno (University of Minnesota, USA): The Green Revolution without the US? Issues and Prospects

Discussion: New Directions, New Narratives (Moderator: Jaehwan Hyun)

 

Organizer(s)
Address
Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, Boltzmannstraße 22, 14195 Berlin, Germany
Room
Zoom/Online Meeting Platform
Contact and Registration

Please register following this link. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. Please contact event_dept3@mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de for technical help if needed.

 

Link
Event Series Science: Technology & Diplomacy During the Cold War & Beyond
Related page
In Memoriam: Aaron Moore
2021-05-10T16:00:00SAVE IN I-CAL 2021-05-10 16:00:00 2021-05-10 18:30:00 What Does South-to-South Mean for Cold War Science and Technology in Asia This workshop examines the role and significance of science and technology at the intersections of post-colonial, post-empire, and Cold-War dynamics in Asia, with a focus on the transformative period of the 1950s–1970s. Specialists on Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, China, and Vietnam will collaboratively highlight Asia-to-Asia and South-to-South connections to productively challenge the conventional Cold War science narrative of US-centered technology transfer. The workshop will be organized specifically to engage in active discussions among the panelists and with the audience (i.e., those working on the Cold War history of science/technology/medicine at MPIWG and beyond). Panelists will make short presentations based on current projects, which will be followed by an open discussion at the end. Last year, a small roundtable discussion was planned in honor of Aaron S. Moore but was cancelled due to the pandemic. We are proposing this workshop in its place; Aaron would have been excited to be part of this collaboration. Aims (1) to explore new directions of "Cold War science and technology" from the Asia-to-Asia/South-to-South perspectives; (2) to explore new narratives to reexamine developmentalism, environment, and geopolitics; and (3) to create a working network among specialists on various Asian countries and to discuss further collaboration such as a journal special issue. Program Welcome (Lisa Onaga) Panel I: Asia-to-Asia (Moderator: Roberto Lalli) John DiMoia (Seoul National University, Korea): Civic Actions by the Pigeon Unit, 1964–1973 Simon Toner (University of Sheffield, UK): Mobilizing Private Capital in Wartime: South Vietnam’s Rural Banks, 1969–1975 Eric Dinmore (Hampden-Sydney College, USA): Petroleum Commodity Chains in Cold War Asia, 1955–1975 Jaehwan Hyun (Pusan National University, Korea): Cold War Environmentalism in a South Korean Context, 1962–1976 Panel II: Asia-to-South (Moderator: Lisa Onaga) James Lin (University of Washington, USA): Taiwanese Agricultural Development in Africa, 1959–1975 Elise Burton (University of Toronto, Canada): Iran as Ethnic Homeland or Racial Crossroads: Indian and Japanese Approaches to Iranian Genetics Hiromi Mizuno (University of Minnesota, USA): The Green Revolution without the US? Issues and Prospects Discussion: New Directions, New Narratives (Moderator: Jaehwan Hyun)   Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, Boltzmannstraße 22, 14195 Berlin, Germany Zoom/Online Meeting Platform Jaehwan HyunLisa OnagaRoberto LalliHiromi Mizuno Jaehwan HyunLisa OnagaRoberto LalliHiromi Mizuno Europe/Berlin public