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Short abstract

I’m going to reflect on doing STS within a sociology program, focusing on how disciplinary expectations shape research practices, evaluation, and self-positioning, and on the strategies to translate STS approaches for non-STS academic audiences.

Long abstract

I’m going to reflect on my academic trajectory within a nationally bounded context, focusing on the experience of studying STS inside a sociology program in Russia. I was trained in the only sociology program in the country offering a specialization in Science and Technology Studies (STS), based at the European University at St. Petersburg.

My research centers on laboratory studies. For my MA thesis, I conducted an ethnography of a laboratory, drawing on actor-network theory as an analytical framework. However, a key tension emerged from the institutional embedding of STS within sociology. Despite specialized training, all students are evaluated by a general sociology committee, often composed of scholars unfamiliar with STS theoretical and methodological approaches.

This situation produces a need for translation and strategic adaptation. Feedback from peers and supervisors suggests making STS work more “accessible” or less challenging for non-STS audiences, shaping how research is written, framed, and presented. There is a need for reflection on the boundaries between “sociology” and “STS” in this institutional context. I consider how these distinctions may influence students' professional development, limit dialogue and create barriers for those working across disciplinary boundaries.