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- Convenors:
-
Davide Chinigò
(Università per stranieri di Perugia)
Cherryl Walker (Stellenbosch University)
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- Discussant:
-
Susann Ludwig
(University of Leipzig)
- Stream:
- Social Anthropology
- Location:
- Appleton Tower, Seminar Room 2.05
- Sessions:
- Thursday 13 June, -
Time zone: Europe/London
Short Abstract:
The panel explores the current political drive to invest in astronomy and space science initiatives in Africa, and the transformations they herald. Contributions should address how knowledge systems in space science shape representations of Africa's future, and its position in the knowledge economy.
Long Abstract:
This panel explores the political drive towards regional and global investments in astronomy and space science programmes in Africa, and the transformations they herald.
Recent years have seen an acceleration of space science initiatives across the continent. The African Union adopted a Space Policy in 2016 and within the last 5 years, Ghana, Ethiopia, and Kenya have established official space programmes. These add to existing initiatives in South Africa and Nigeria, inscribing them in both continental and international networks. Their development hold the potential to refashion North-South relationships and patterns of continental power within Africa, embedding space science in global concerns over the security, protection and the monitoring of people as well as the environment. In 2012, South Africa was chosen to host the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) - the world's largest radio telescope - and in 2017, Ghana became the second African country to develop radio astronomy infrastructure. Space science and astronomy initiatives in Africa are framed within narratives around local, national, and continental development. Narratives of progress, political modernity, and national priorities herald transformations in the knowledge economies of related developments, reflecting new connections and disruptions. In this panel we seek contributions that address the role of astronomy and space science initiatives, and the knowledge systems they underpin, in shaping representations of the continent's future, and its position within the global knowledge economy. Research engaging with country-specific case studies, regional or continental perspectives, as well as emphasising the role of trans-continental collaborations are all encouraged.
Accepted papers:
Session 1 Thursday 13 June, 2019, -Davide Chinigò (Università per stranieri di Perugia) Cherryl Walker (Stellenbosch University)
Paper short abstract:
By addressing the case of the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) radio telescope we elaborate on the notion of knowledge frontiers. We understand knowledge frontiers as liminal spaces, where visions of African futures are negotiated and contested in ways that both produce and reshape power and authority.
Paper long abstract:
In this paper we elaborate on the notion of knowledge frontiers to explore the multiple and overlapping ways in which science and technology are shaping a 'knowledge society' in Africa. We understand knowledge frontiers as liminal spaces, where visions of African futures are negotiated and contested in ways that both produce and reshape power and authority. We address these issues through the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) radio telescope currently under construction in South Africa, which is projected to expand into eight countries in sub-Saharan Africa from the mid-2020s. The SKA is a major global scientific endeavour aimed at expanding knowledge of the universe in ways that have not been possible before, effectively shaping the contours of humanity's knowledge frontier. It articulates a particular vision of the role of science and technology in shaping knowledge production in Africa. In this paper we engage with three important dimensions of the SKA knowledge frontier. First, we examine the SKA as a cutting-edge global scientific project in framing representations of Africa. Second, we examine the SKA within the realm of North-South relationships, and in relation to the global and continental leadership ambitions of post-apartheid South Africa at a time when concerns over de-colonizing knowledge question existing postcolonial relations. Third, we discuss the SKA as a significant land use change that has entailed the establishment of a large astronomy reserve around the core of the infrastructure in the central Karoo.
James Merron (University of Basel)
Paper short abstract:
The concepts 'signal' and 'noise' lend to the analysis of scientific practice in-situ - as well as the connections and disruptions of Space Science and Technology infrastructure in Ghana - offering insights into how social and natural scientists make their objects of research visible.
Paper long abstract:
Sitting under an Alt Azimuth Telescope on the outskirts of Accra, an astrophysicist explains: "If we were to point the telescope toward the ground, the weight of the dish would crush the building". Hard limits in the control computer prevent the telescope from moving below an elevation of five degrees. The closer the dish points to the ground, the more it threatens the people standing under it. Putting the laws of physics aside for a moment begs the question: what would the dish 'see' if it were pointed in the opposite direction? Toward us rather than the sky?
In September 2017, Ghana became the second African country to participate in a network of telescopes belonging to the 'Square Kilometer Array' (SKA), anchored in South Africa and announced as the "largest scientific project in Africa". This initiative coincide with the African Union's Space Program, which focuses on space science and technology for socioeconomic development. In this context, the radio astronomy infrastructure anchors the training of young scientists to monitor stars and planets, as well as provide technical capacity to monitor the earth and people through Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems (GIS).
Infrastructures shape - and are shaped by - people. In this paper, I am interested in how the 'signal' and the 'noise' - as concepts used in radio astronomy - lend to framing the connections and the disruptions of space science and technology for socioeconomic development, and the capacity through which scientists use this infrastructure to sense, measure, translate and build-up their worlds.
JC Holbrook (University of the Western Cape)
Paper short abstract:
The Karoo region of South Africa is high & dry: ideal conditions for astronomy observations. The indigenous astronomy of the Karoo is disconnected from current astronomy activities. A re-connect effort is the Shared Sky Art Exhibition which highlighted indigenous art connected to the night sky.
Paper long abstract:
The Karoo region of South Africa is high & dry: ideal conditions for astronomy observations. Observatories in the region abound, but the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) is different in its size & restrictions. The region where the SKA is located is the traditional home of the |xam people. Their skylore includes names for celestial bodies, weather prediction using the moon, and stories connected to celestial bodies today that can be referenced against narratives collected over a century ago. There is a disconnect between indigenous astronomy of the Karoo and the 'high science' that takes place in the observatories. As well as a disconnect between local people's understanding of development in contrast to the reality of astronomy development projects. The restrictions are on access to the SKA site, the limiting of radio waves, and
SKA Africa has instituted various programs and activities to connect with the local community including providing school bursaries, funding science & math teachers, and building computer labs. Another effort is the Shared Sky Art Exhibition which highlights indigenous art connected to the night sky from South Africa and Australia (the SKA sister site). This presentation highlights the efforts to connect indigenous Karoo astronomy and the people living in the region to the Square Kilometre Array.