WilliamsMemo24

Williams Memo 24 Charting Binaries (See Hegemonic Backdrops) What is sustainable development, how is it different than sustainable economic development? A neoliberal case can be made that, what is good for developing countries to encourage development and make them more 'modern' (though the idea of whether they are, or, are not 'modern' is contested itself) will actually bring more markets 'online' so to speak for multinational companies to exploit. //Diffusion theories come from Everett Rogers 'diffusion of ideas'// that he first theorized when studying the rate that farmers relate and start to use new theory that was taught through the university cooperative at Iowa State University. It has been incorporated into many types of scholarly literatures, including, business & marketing, public health & sociology, etc. It implies a past tense sort of post- measurement of what has changed in terms of ideas or artifacts. //Translation comes from?!?!?// I do not know the uptake of translation historically, but it seems to be used more often by anthropologists and other social scientists using ethnographic methods and others interested in ethics and philosophy. Specifically, it seems to refer to ideas of knowledge. With the post modern turn, this knowledge is always discussed as being situated within a specific, and local context, though again, I am not sure whether that has always been so historically (I need to read more on this). It implies a more current process of change of ideas and, or, artifacts, but primarily ideas. //Transfer comes from business literature. Its specific origins are unknown to me at this time.// It seems to be, possibly, a less valenced term than diffusion or translation (again I have not read very much). It can discuss the current technological change process, or the past. It can be very localized as in university-industry through some sort of business incubator, or it can be international or multi-national. It is, overall, a much more flexible term than translation or diffusion I think; translation has those linguistic connotations (I must make your words fit my own culture and understanding) and diffusion has the physical phenomena it has been modeled after (this knowledge is concentrated at point a and must slowly spread to point B through this medium or pathway). Therefore transfer is less valenced historically. However, because of its simplicity it is almost not specific enough by itself, but requires additional modifiers 'technology transfer', 'medical technology transfer'. Also, when it comes to certain technologies, the word technology transfer is valenced negatively. For example, a lot of technology transfer occurred during the green revolution I believe which is not remembered as successful but instead an example of capitalist imperialism and exploitation.
 * High Tech vs. Simple/Low Tech**
 * Design for Industrialized Nations v. Design for Developing Nations**
 * Sustainable economic development vs. sustainable development**
 * Borrowed from Gareth, exploitation v. beneficence**
 * Diffusion vs. Translation (Technology transfer theories)**

Mike Fortun and Herb Bernstein's. 2001. "Muddling Thru." Chapter 9. __Muddling Through: Pursuing Science and Truths in the 21st Century. p. 275-276__ //"How to Muddle Through// The oppositional pattern of thought tends to persist because each side receives a different valuation. Epistemological or ontological propositions about the sciences almost always harbor a moral element or two. They almost always have one exalted term, while the other is at best tolerated, at worst something to be eradicated. As a generalization, the left-hand side of our chart lists the things, qualities, and values associated with the sciences in our culture, and which we mostly think of as good while those things and qualities on the right-hand side are associated with the sciences’ Others and are at least “not as good as. . .“ their partners on the left, if not simply “bad.” The middle terms with which we’ve worked and played are meant to suggest other ways of thinking and doing. They oscillate between the extremes without ever escaping them. Sometimes they hold closer to what have been the best qualities or ideals of the sciences themselves—qualities or ideals that are often forgotten, misconstrued, obscured, or twisted into unusual patterns."