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Short abstract:

Epistemic imaginaries, defined as textual or visual representations of an ideal set of future achievements within a research field, guide the academic search. In this paper I study how epistemic imaginaries change in response to societal challenges like the climate crisis.

Long abstract:

In this paper, I investigate how epistemic imaginaries change in response to societal challenges like the climate crisis. I define epistemic imaginaries as textual or visual representations of an ideal set of future achievements within a research field. Such future achievements range from ‘holy grails’ of the field to be awarded with a Nobel prize, to generic and mundane assessments of what, realistically, can be expected to be achieved in the near or not so near future. By defining what can be realistically be expected, epistemic imaginaries frame research agendas, directly by stating or suggesting something is impossible to achieve, or indirectly, by foregrounding other priorities. I am interested in how scientific agenda setting processes respond to the demands and pressures of the climate crisis. Theoretically, the paper bridges the sociology of expectations and studies on frames in epistemic cultures. Empirically, I study (i) plasma chemistry and (ii) neurodegenation research. In the two chosen research fields, I delineate epistemic imaginaries and investigate how these - in the last decade - have changed by the prospects of the climate crisis. I will formulate tentative insights into how epistemic imaginaries change, with pathways, stages and mechanisms. The theoretical gain of the paper is to clarify epistemic imaginaries and to specify their roles in the frames of epistemic cultures. To improve the governance of science, such insights are important and urgent, too. As epistemic imaginaries frame the direction of science, they may facilitate or hinder change for the better, too.