Multiculturalism and Postcolonialism

What Difference Do They Make to Western Scientific Epistemology?

Abstract

Science and technology studies have emerged from distinctive intellectual and political histories and interests in the last half of the Twentieth Century. Here I look at some central concerns in multicultural and postcolonial science and technology studies,  and  try  to  identify  some  of  the  issues  that  these  raise  for  conventional postpositivist philosophies of Western modern sciences and technologies. In some respects the former provide additional evidence for postpositivist revisions of philosophy of science; in other respects they raise new issues. In both respects they can motivate critical re-evaluations of modernity, enlightenment and the Liberal political philosophy embedded in Western philosophies of science.