ABSTRACT

We explore the notion of “sacrifice zones” to reflect critically on the trade-offs between Science & Technology (S&T) policy and inclusive development in South Africa. We draw evidence from one of the country’s flagship projects, the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) radio telescope, currently under construction in the semi-arid Northern Cape. The SKA embodies a key tension in the country’s S&T policy, that between the promotion of astronomy, based on national and global priorities (the development of science), and the advancement of local development concerns (science for development), in which the dominant assumption is that local interests are either subsumed or superseded by national and global public goods. Given the extent to which the priorities of local residents have been overlooked in the name of the greater good, we argue that a fruitful way of recasting this relationship is to regard the region around the telescope as astronomy’s terrestrial “sacrifice zone”; this opens up an important space for engaging with issues of mitigation. We conclude by raising questions about who should take responsibility for mitigating the trade-offs in policy and practice, if a more sustainable and inclusive development agenda in the areas affected by the SKA is a real concern.

摘要

我们探索“牺牲区”的概念，以批判性地反映科学技术（S＆T）政策与南非的包容性发展之间的取舍。我们从该国的旗舰项目之一-平方公里阵列（SKA）射电望远镜中获取证据，该射电望远镜目前正在半干旱的北开普省建造。SKA体现了该国科学技术政策的主要张力，即在基于国家和全球优先事项的天文学发展（科学发展）与地方发展关切（科学促进发展）之间的紧张关系。是指国家或全球公共物品是否包含或取代了当地利益。考虑到以更大的利益为名而忽视了当地居民的优先事项，我们认为重塑这种关系的一种有效方法是将望远镜周围的区域视为天文学的地面“牺牲区”。这为参与缓解问题开辟了重要的空间。最后，我们提出以下问题：如果真正受到关注的是，由谁来减轻政策和实践的取舍，谁应该承担责任，如果在受SKA影响的地区制定更可持续和更具包容性的发展议程。