Reviews:

“It not only will fill in the gap in the literature but also is a very unique scholarship that examines the science question—the role of science in the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation or the fulfillment of China dream—at the center of the study of contemporary Chinese society.”

—Cong Cao, University of Nottingham Ningbo China

“Some of the topics are incredibly original and demonstrate the vitality of this emerging field. This edited volume is a very important contribution to studies of China’s science and technology.”

—Mei Zhan, University of California, Irvine

Description:

Can Science and Technology Save China? assesses the intimate connections between science and society in China, offering an in-depth look at how an array of sciences and technologies are being made, how they are interfacing with society, and with what effects.

Focusing on critical domains of daily life, the chapters explore how scientists, technicians, surgeons, therapists, and other experts create practical knowledges and innovations, as well as how ordinary people take them up as they pursue the good life. Editors Greenhalgh and Zhang offer a rare, up-close view of the politics of Chinese science-making, showing how everyday logics, practices, and ethics of science, medicine, and technology are profoundly reshaping contemporary China. By foregrounding the notion of “governing through science,” and the contested role of science and technology as instruments of change, this timely book addresses important questions regarding what counts as science in China, what science and technology can do to transform China, as well as their limits and unintended consequences.

Contents:

Acknowledgments

Introduction (Susan Greenhalgh)

Chapter 1. Numbers and the Assembling of a Community Mental Health Infrastructure in Postsocialist China (Zhiying Ma)

Chapter 2. Embracing Psychological Science for the “Good Life”? (Li Zhang)

Chapter 3. Negotiating Evidence and Efficacy in Experimental Medicine (Priscilla Song)

Chapter 4. Divergent Trust and Dissonant Truths in Public Health Science (Katherine A. Mason)

Chapter 5. China’s Eco-Dream and the Making of Invisibilities in Rural-Environmental Research (Elizabeth Lord)

Chapter 6. The Good Scientist and the Good Multinational: Managing the Ethics of Industry-Funded Science (Susan Greenhalgh)

Chapter 7. The Black Soldier Fly: An Indigenous Innovation for Waste Management in Guangzhou (Amy Zhang)

Chapter 8. Unmasking a Gendered Materialism: Air Filtration, Cigarettes, and Domestic Discord in Urban China (Matthew Kohrman)

Afterword (Mei Zhan)

List of Contributors

Index

About the Editors:

Susan Greenhalgh is the John King and Wilma Cannon Fairbank Research Professor of Chinese Society in the department of Anthropology at Harvard University.

Li Zhang is Professor of Anthropology at the University of California-Davis.

Target Audience:

People interested in the anthropology of science and technology in contemporary China.