KJEMI nr. 6 - 2017

22 KJEMI 6 2017 Yet, how did the International Atomic Energy Agency, a diplomatic and politi- cal international organization, come to dominate scientific institutions with a long tradition in radiation protection? The main hypothesis is that scientific knowledge about radiation protection has been shaped by diplomatic, social, econ- omic, and political concerns. This ap- proach casts new light on important as- pects of postwar history of science, combining attention to state actors, scien- ce diplomacy, and the roles played by in- ternational organizations. The approach taken here, advocates a diplomatic turn in history of science: the concept of diplomacy becomes central in analyzing postwar science. At the same time it aims to inform diplomatic and in- ternational history about trends in history of science and advances in the social his- tory of scientific knowledge. Diplomacy has historically been a malleable social practice and diplomats have been politi- cal actors with professional identities in constant transition. Yet, only recently di- plomatic historians, embracing internati- onal history, shifted their focus from in- tergovernmental relations to study the professionals whose mission has been to shape them. Stemming from the history of science, my approach helps to adopt an even broader conception of the diplo- mat, one that combines attention to poli- tical, military and economic intervention with recognition of the role played by science experts and international organi- zations. It actually turns our attention to global diplomacy as a means to under- stand historical processes in science and technology, thereby dramatically affec- ting our understanding of the latter. But although for scientists internatio- nal collaborations have long been consti- tutive and natural part of their work even in periods of intense political upheavals, to diplomats and policy makers the insti- tutional link of science to diplomacy has been fairly new. In 2009 in a founding text the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) descri- bed science diplomacy through three types of activities: a. science informs issues of diplomatic concern (science in diplomacy); b. diplomacy facilitates sci- entific cooperation on an international level (diplomacy for science) and c. science functions as a diplomatic tool when other diplomatic mechanisms fail (science for diplomacy). A year later the British Royal Society organized a land- mark meeting in collaboration to the AAAS enforcing the idea that although science diplomacy is not new, it has never been more important. As an historian of science my attempt is to reclaim the term and show how science diplomacy has been historically linked to the emergence of new structures of knowledge, set of concepts, practices, actors, and especially to new geopolitical orders. The IAEA as a show-case In 1953 the Eisenhower Administration proposed a plan for the control of all fis- sionable material and its exclusive use for peaceful purposes, which led to the crea- tion of the IAEA in 1957, exactly sixty years ago. According to its statue “The Agency shall seek to accelerate and en- large the contribution of atomic energy to peace, health and prosperity throughout the world. It shall ensure, so far as it is able, that assistance provided by it or at its request or under its supervision or control is not used in such a way as to further any military purpose.” Among the first objectives of the IAEA as they were stated in the first annual report of the Board of Governors in July 1958 was to help Member States prepare for the even- tual use of nuclear power and to promote, particularly in the economically less de- veloped areas, the wider use of radioiso- topes and radiation sources in research, industry, agriculture and medicine. The method employed was that of technical Radium suppositories produced by the Home Products Company of Denver, Colorado, targeted “weak discouraged men” and promised them to “bubble over with joyous vitality” (Courtesy of the Oak Ridge Associated Universities) «According to a publication that appeared in the IAEA’s bulletin the project had two major goals: to device a standard method easily used, inexpensive, portable but also accurate and to achieve global use.»

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