Institut für Wissenschafts- und Technikforschung
Wissenschaft, Technologie und Innovation formen zahllose Aspekte des Lebens in modernen Gesellschaften. Manche Veränderungen werden als positiv erlebt, andere sind hoch kontroversiell. Zugleich beeinflussen Politik, Medien, Firmen und andere gesellschaftliche Akteure wie Wissen und Technologie erzeugt werden. Die Wissenschafts- und Technikforschung analysiert diese Beziehungen und fördert kritische und reflexive Debatten zu den Beziehungen von Wissenschaft, Technologie und Gesellschaft.
In relation to the important debate on abuse of power and sexual harassment within parts of the STS community, our position as the leadership team of the STS department at the University of Vienna is that abusive behaviours and harassment in all forms have no place in academic work and study environments. A safe environment is of vital importance for the social fabric and development of our field and of all individuals that belong to it in various roles. We stand in solidarity with all who have suffered such abuses and with all who work to create and sustain safe environments for scholarship.
We believe that these debates demand institutional action and reflexivity. For our part, we see our responsibility in increasing our efforts to develop practices in our own institution that build and sustain a good and safe academic environment. We acknowledge that it is important that this happens in ways that are inclusive, respectful, and mindful of the power dynamics that structure academic settings. We will also consider what our responsibilities are within the wider STS community, and hope that our reflections contribute to a collective learning process within STS.
The Leadership Team - Ulrike Felt, Maximilian Fochler, Sarah Davies
