New Books in Science, Technology, and Society

In this lively discussion, Edward Shanks shares insights about his novel, which imagines a neo-medieval future in England. He explores how humanity adapts after civilization collapses, while Jeremy Tuft, a physics instructor frozen in time, grapples with the failures of his era’s ideals. They dive into themes of trauma, identity, and technological regression, reflecting on how these elements shape both Shanks' work and contemporary society. The conversation is rich with literary analysis and provocative thoughts on societal change.

Mark Walker, a historian specializing in the narratives of Germany's atomic bomb project during WWII, dissects the moral dilemmas faced by scientists like Otto Hahn and Lisa Meitner. He explores how their work influenced the American Manhattan Project and the dual legacies of Auschwitz and Hiroshima. Walker also delves into the post-war rehabilitation of these scientists, reflecting on the intricate balance between integrity and accountability in their tumultuous era. The podcast raises thought-provoking questions about memory, ethics, and the consequences of scientific ambition.

Jeremy Black, an esteemed author and historian specializing in military history, delves into the multifaceted narratives of warfare. He critiques traditional military theories for oversimplifying historical contexts, urging a more nuanced view. Black highlights the fine line between geopolitics and rhetoric in understanding past conflicts. He examines pivotal World War I and II strategies, discussing their relevance and misguidance for modern military leaders. His insights illuminate the need to rethink military history’s place in academia and its broader cultural implications.

Mitchel P. Roth, a scholar of weaponized mail history, and Mahmut Cengiz, an expert in postal bombs, dive deep into the dark world of letter bombs. They recount gripping stories from the 18th century to modern terror acts, unveiling how these deadly devices evolved. The duo discusses the motivations behind infamous incidents like the suffragettes' violent tactics and the 1919 anarchist mail bomb plot. They also explore the chilling connections between bombers and serial killers, highlighting the ongoing relevance of this deadly phenomenon.

Edward Kaplan, Dean of the School of Strategic Landpower at the US Army War College, discusses gripping insights from his book on thermonuclear age warfare. He explores the critical role of the Net Evaluation Subcommittee in shaping U.S. nuclear strategy during the Cold War. Kaplan recounts chilling forecasts of nuclear conflict, the ethical dilemmas faced by leaders like Eisenhower and Kennedy, and how perceptions of victory evolved. The conversation delves into the complexities of military preparedness and the legacy of past decisions on contemporary security challenges.

Monica Berger, an expert in scholarly communications, discusses the pressing issue of predatory publishing. She highlights how it undermines academic integrity and disproportionately affects scholars from less developed countries. Berger emphasizes the crucial role of academic librarians in navigating these challenges and fostering ethical practices in publishing. The conversation covers strategies for identifying legitimate publishing avenues and the importance of collaboration among stakeholders to reform the scholarly communications landscape globally.

Kate McDonald, an Associate Professor of History at UC Santa Barbara, dives into the intriguing intersection of Asian mobility and labor history. She shares insights from her current project on human-powered transport, revealing the cultural significance of rickshaws in Japan. The discussion includes riveting stories of rickshaw pullers' uprisings and their fight for rights amidst changing transportation systems. McDonald also explores her unique journey into mobility history, emphasizing the importance of diverse perspectives in understanding transportation's role in society.

Tim Sweijs and Jeffrey H. Michaels discuss the future of war post Ukraine invasion, exploring technological advancements, strategic interactions, and challenges in predicting future conflicts. They highlight the evolving nature of warfare, societal mobilization, and the metaphysical dimensions of war. The guests also share insights into future research projects and recent publications in the field.

Author Bishnupriya Ghosh discusses 'The Virus Touch: Theorizing Epidemic Media'. Topics include the body as a material medium, global epidemics, multispecies relationality, media archive research, blood as media, and tracking across different scales and temporalities.

Distributed to millions of people annually across Africa and the global south, insecticide-treated bed nets have become a cornerstone of malaria control and twenty-first-century global health initiatives. Despite their seemingly obvious public health utility, however, these chemically infused nets and their rise to prominence were anything but inevitable.In Nothing But Nets: A Biography of Global Health Science and Its Objects (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2023), Dr. Kirsten Moore-Sheeley untangles the complicated history of insecticide-treated nets as it unfolded transnationally and in Kenya specifically—a key site of insecticide-treated net research—to reveal how the development of this intervention was deeply enmeshed with the emergence of the contemporary global health enterprise.While public health workers initially conceived of nets as a stopgap measure that could be tailored to impoverished, rural health systems in the early 1980s, nets became standardised market goods with the potential to save lives and promote economic development globally. This shift attracted donor resources for malaria control amid the rise of neoliberal regimes in international development, but it also perpetuated a paradigm of fighting malaria and poverty at the level of individual consumers. Africans' experiences with insecticide-treated nets illustrate the limitations of this paradigm and provide a warning for the precariousness of malaria control efforts today.Drawing on archival, published, and oral historical evidence from three continents, Dr. Moore-Sheeley reveals the important role Africans have played in shaping global health science and technology. In placing both insecticide-treated nets and Africa at the center of global health history, this book sheds new light on how and why commodity-based health interventions have become so entrenched as solutions to global disease control as well as the challenges these interventions pose for at-risk populations.This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose new book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/science-technology-and-society