Envisioning a Better Future for Mexico Through Nanodiscourses

Abstract

This chapter analyzes the main stages in the development of nanotechnology in Mexico and the main actor-networks involved in the process. The promises of nanotechnology—(1) triggering the next industrial revolution, (2) providing solutions to social problems, and (3) increasing the competitiveness and participation of firms in R&D activities—are being materialized not only in programs and initiatives in Mexico but also in the political struggles for leadership. The chapter explores the different sources of power shaping nanotechnology in Mexico by decentering the focus away from traditional views regarding state actors and policy instruments and, instead, stressing the movements of scientists, their agencies, and their networks, which are important for understanding the power relations produced in a global knowledge field such as nanotechnology, where metanarratives and imaginaries are constantly being reconfigured.