Abstract
Convergence of research fields under a new techno-scientific paradigm is currently being discussed among scholars of social studies of science and technology, and in the context of research funding programmes and frameworks of science and technology policy. Mostly, these discussions refer to the macro-scale and adopt a broad understanding of convergence. The present paper introduces a focus on epistemic cultures and raises the question of what convergence might imply on the micro-level of everyday research practices. Relative similarities and differences of various epistemic cultures are indicated, drawing upon empirical investigations. Three forms of scientific change over time are distinguished (convergence, divergence and emergence) and three modes of convergence are further elaborated (cooperation, integration and assimilation). On this conceptual basis the thesis is put forward that the emergence of new technosciences is driven by the technological visions and realities of recent (bio)scientific developments. These, in turn, result in a fundamental reconfiguration of science and its role in society.
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