Microbial Temporalities in Anthropocene Research (MiTAR)
How do time and temporality affect knowledge production in innovations that use microbial life? What rhythms, sequences, and tempos drive research aimed at mitigating the effects of anthropogenic destruction? This project aims to develop new understandings of temporal alignment and synchronicities when developing nature-based solutions. Starting in the lab with how scientists attune to more-than-human timescapes, and broadening to acceleration narratives that demand urgent political attention, the project compares multiple formulations of time and the futures they suggest.
About
This project explores scientists’ understandings of temporality in microbial research. Microbes – like bacteria and yeast – are increasingly called upon to avert environmental crises, through innovations like precision fermentation and cellular agriculture that help create circular/resilient bioeconomies. In parallel, researchers in science and technology studies (STS) have noted that timeframes shape how research gets conducted, including the quality of the results and the conclusions drawn. With attention to multiple timings and their coordination, this project is the first of its kind to investigate the timeliness of microbial innovations and how they develop in laboratories who intervene on environmental crises.
Grounded in feminist STS, time studies, and the social studies of microbes, this project combines qualitative methods, including:
Lab ethnographies, which are ongoing in-depth observations, help to identify how researchers work with microbial time in practice – especially in relation to human “clock time.”
Discourse analysis, focus groups, and interviews collect data on how researchers describe microbial time in their publications, talks and on websites. These discourses are compared with how think tanks and decision-makers describe the human need for microbial innovation in regionally-specific public documents.
Workshops bring scientists together with other experts on microbial time, such as composters, waste treatment analysts, bioremediation specialists, entrepreneurs, fermenters, and artists. The goal of the workshops is (1) to differentiate and evaluate the various ways of understanding microbial time, and (2) to develop educational materials for people who want to learn more about microbial time.
Over three years, the project produces both academic and popular science publications, along with a public platform for future research on microbes, innovation, and time. Updates and resources will be made available on the project repository.
This project is funded by Formas, Swedish Research Council for Sustainable Development, as part of their Early-Career Grant scheme.
Links
Project repository - MiTAR (Microbial Temporalities in Anthropocene Research)
