Swiss Journal of Sociology (Nov 2023)

Claiming Universal Epistemic Authority – Relational Boundary Work and the Academic Institutionalization of Data Science

  • Prietl Bianca,
  • Raible Stefanie

DOI
https://doi.org/10.2478/sjs-2023-0024
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 49, no. 3
pp. 499 – 517

Abstract

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This article studies the rise of academic data science in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. By focusing on the boundary work that accompanies this development, we try to understand current transformations in knowledge production within digital academia and beyond. Drawing on qualitative interviews with data science scholars, we identify five lines of demarcation in claiming universal epistemic authority. This boundary work is characterized by multiple tensions and varies depending upon context and counterpart, making it inherently relational.

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