Science and culture panel at AATSEEL

[Susanna Weygandt]

Dear fellow Slavicists,

I am looking for one final presenter to join the panel “Science as Fiction:
Representing Soviet Science in Soviet Culture” at the 2012 AATSEEL
conference (Seattle, January 5-8).  There is a possibility that I will need
a discussant as well. 

In presenting on Russian scientific figures and how their discoveries are
represented in culture, this panel will contribute information to the
interdisciplinary area between science studies and literature/art. 

        This panel will discuss a variety of mediums (literature, visual
art, film) that shine a spotlight on the faces of scientists and portray the
form and meaning of scientists’ discoveries.  When culture takes science
into its own hands, to what extent are portrayals of science shaped in order
to be made accessible to the masses?  Popular science films, among other
topics, customized science to match popular taste. While they are
“documentary” accounts of scientific processes, they are also biopics that
dramatize and idealize discoveries.  What "official" message of culture is
transmitted by such hybrid constructions: the objective documentation of
progress + personal stories behind scientists’ faces? In which other mediums
do we see scientists’ theories or faces, even those of scientists’ who
courageously faced exile/arrest in defense of their disciplines?

         Presenters are encouraged to discuss the role science played not
only in specific visual and literary accounts, but also its broader role in
realizing the transformative ideals of Soviet modernity.  For instance, the
evolution and potential of the Soviet citizen became known and celebrated as
parts of the fabric of Soviet science -- psychology, pedology, biology, and
genetics -- were incorporated into modern culture.  Science also became both
an inspirational and textual source for artists who drew on new
technologies, scientific terminology, and patterns to explain and expand
their artistic theories. In addition, experiments in theater and dance moved
from admiring science from afar to following it closely to make their own
material more “scientific” – backed by empirical investigation, recorded,
and standardized for the sake of practicality, clarity, and enduring impact.
 We will discuss how new visions in Soviet culture were activated in its
handling of science.

If interested in joining as a presenter or discussant, please, write to Susanna:
weygandt at princeton.edu       Thank you!

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