Helena Barnard

Cite as:

Okune, Angela. 2018. "Helena Barnard." In STS in "Africa" Personal Careers. In STS in "Africa" in Formation, edited by Angela Okune and Aadita Chaudhury. In STS Across Borders Digital Exhibit, edited by Aalok Khandekar and Kim Fortun. Society for Social Studies of Science. August.

Meta-Narrative

Helena Barnard is the Director of Doctoral Programme at the Gordon Institute of Business Science, University of Pretoria. She studies South African scholars who are using the South African National Research Foundation database of "rated researchers" and their associated research outputs. Her primary organisational role (as the director of the doctoral programme at a business school) has allowed her to work with emerging scholars from across the continent. This has raised multiple questions about incentive structures, scholarly becoming and scientific communication.

This PECE essay helps to answer the STS Across Borders analytic question: “What people, projects, and products exemplify how this STS formation has developed over time?”

This essay highlights prominant and upcoming individuals working on critical science and technology issues in Africa and is part of a broader exhibit on "STS in Africa."

STS Across Borders In Brief

STS Across Borders is a special exhibit organized by the Society for Social Studies of Science (4S) to showcase how the field of Science and Technology Studies (STS) has developed in different times, places...Read more

Müller, Moritz, Robin Cowan, and Helena Barnard. 2018. “On the Value of Foreign PhDs in the Developing World: Training versus Selection Effects in the Case of South Africa.” Research Policy 47 (5): 886–900.

Abstract: "When seeking to improve science in emerging economies, uncertainty exists whether PhD training in an emerging economy can yield comparable results to PhD training in the developed world. Scientific achievements may vary because of excellent training at good universities, but...Read more

"In your opinion, what is unique about STS work in / on Africa?"

HB: "All contexts are unique. What I find particularly productive about the African context is that conditions are quite extreme, facilitating theory development."

"Who has been key inspiration for your growth as an STS scholar?"

HB: "I am often struck by how hard it is to effectively communicate new scholarly insights from an African vantage point. For this reason, I find it helpful to have co-authors who work from the perspective of industrialised economies - they challenge me to articulate more carefully what I want to say. For example, my work with Robin Cowan, a network economist, has helped me find a theoretical way to conceptualise the challenges around STS in South Africa."

"Which key organizations and/or individuals have made a significant contribution to STS in Africa?"

HB: "Johann Mouton's work at the University of Stellenbosch has been extremely useful."

"Briefly describe a current or previous project that you feel aligns you with STS in Africa."

HB: "In terms of scholarship, I am examining South African scholars using the South African National Research Foundation database of "rated researchers" and their associated research outputs. My primary organisational role (as the director of the doctoral programme at a business school) has allowed me to work with emerging scholars from across the continent. This has raised multiple questions about incentive structures, scholarly becoming and scientific communication."

"How do you see your work fitting into critical work on science and technology in Africa?"

HB: "My work has a strong scientometric orientation, and I draw on research in the management domain about the benefit of global connectedness."

Helena Barnard on future directions of STS in Africa

Helena Barnard (April 25, 2018): " The rise of predatory journals and what it suggests about how African scholars perceive the process of knowledge generation is a critically important issue." Read more