Society for Social Studies of Science

Last updated
Society for Social Studies of Science
Abbreviation4S
Formation1975;51 years ago (1975)
Type INGO
Region served
Worldwide
Official language
English
President
Wen-Hua Kuo
Main organ
Science, Technology, & Human Values
Parent organization
International Social Science Council (ISSC)
Website www.4sonline.org

The Society for Social Studies of Science (4S) is a non-profit scholarly association devoted to the social studies of science and technology (STS). [1] It was founded in 1975 and it has grown considerably over the years. The first conference meeting of 4S was convened in 1976 at Cornell University. [2] In 2024, over 3,000 people attended the society's annual meeting in Amsterdam, co-hosted by the European Association for the Study of Science and Technology (EASST).

Contents

Its charter was drafted in 1975, [3] and its first President was the American sociologist Robert K. Merton. [4] 4S is governed by a nine-person council as well as its president. [5]

4S publishes the quarterly academic journal Science, Technology, & Human Values as well as the diamond open access journal Engaging STS, and it organizes an annual conference attended by thousands of scholars from a range of fields including science and technology studies, sociology of science, science studies, history of science, philosophy of science, anthropology of science, economics, political science, and psychology, as well as science educators and scientists.

It awards the Ludwik Fleck Prize annually for "best book in the area of science and technology studies", the Rachel Carson Prize for "a work of social or political relevance", the John Desmond Bernal Prize for an individual who made "a distinguished contribution to the field", the David Edge Prize for "an outstanding peer-reviewed article or book chapter in Science and Technology Studies", and the Nicholas C. Mullins Prize for "outstanding scholarship in science and technology studies" by a graduate student. [6]

Presidents [7]

References

  1. ↑ About the Society for Social Studies of Science.
  2. ↑ "Society for Social Studies of Science celebrates 40 years | Cornell Chronicle". news.cornell.edu. Retrieved 2026-09-30.
  3. ↑ Arnold Thackray, "Many Happy Returns," 4S Review 1, no. 1 (Spring 1983): p. 2.
  4. ↑ 4S Past Presidents & Council Members.
  5. ↑ "Current Officers and Council", 4S Website. Accessed: 26 October 2020.
  6. ↑ Prizes and Awards, 4S.
  7. ↑ "Past Presidents and Council Members". 4sonline.org. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
  8. ↑ "Announcement: Prof. Wen-Hua Kuo, Former Editor-in-Chief of EASTS, Elected President of 4S". www.easts-journal.com. Retrieved 2026-09-30.
  9. ↑ "Michel Callon – Une journée avec Bruno Latour". www.csi.minesparis.psl.eu. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
  10. ↑ https://aspace.lib.vt.edu/agents/people/248 [ bare URL ]