Discourses on nanotechnology in Europe, China and India

Abstract

This chapter provides a comparative analysis of the discursive settings of nanotechnology in Europe, China and India. A short introduction to the umbrella term 'nanotechnology' and its development into an exemplar for technological innovation precedes a consideration of evolving and ongoing debates in the three regions. Analysis of the debates will be conducted within the analytical framework described in Chap. 8 and focus on discourses of innovation, risk, power and control, lay morality and reflective ethics. For each of the discourses this analysis will identify the dominant issues, the main actors and the relationship of these discourses to culturally embedded values, as well as to the socioeconomic context in the three regions. The final section of the chapter compares the governance settings of nanotechnology in each region and relates them to the analysed discourses and cultural values.