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In a Constitutional Moment: Science and Social Order at the Millennium

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Book cover Social Studies of Science and Technology: Looking Back, Ahead

Part of the book series: Sociology of the Sciences ((SOSC,volume 23))

Abstract

Strolling east along the splendid swath of Constitution Avenue, beyond the recessed lawns of the White House, diagonally across from the back entrance to the National Gallery of Art, the visitor to Washington, D.C. will be drawn to a building whose soaring Corinthian columns signal the presence of something exceptional within. Inside, under the hushed central rotunda of the National Archives of the United States, the nowcurious visitor may take her place in the slow-moving line of tourists for a brief glimpse of the three documents that anchor the American state: the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the Declaration of Independence. Encased in thick, greenish, helium-filled, bronze and glass frames, elevated on a marble pedestal, the faded parchments are barely readable in the dim, protective light. It is hard to linger long enough to decipher the script; the guards take care to keep the line moving. But the entire setting — the heroic murals,1 the sober display cases around the circular gallery, the inlaid floor and monumental architecture — encourages a feeling of reverence. This is no ordinary public space; it is the closest thing to a holy of holies in this brashly populist, secular republic.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA

    Sheila Jasanoff

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  1. Sheila Jasanoff
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin, Berlin, Germany

    Bernward Joerges

  2. ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switserland

    Helga Nowotny

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Jasanoff, S. (2003). In a Constitutional Moment: Science and Social Order at the Millennium. In: Joerges, B., Nowotny, H. (eds) Social Studies of Science and Technology: Looking Back, Ahead. Sociology of the Sciences, vol 23. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-010-0185-4_8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-010-0185-4_8

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4020-1482-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-010-0185-4

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