Do governments in times of global political uncertainty seek to control and restrict the movement and exchange of scientific knowledge? During this research workshop, I will try to sketch an analytical framework for studying the dynamics whereby scientific practices and the scientists performing them come to be embroiled into broader concerns over national security. I will discuss the viability of a securitization approach for examining these dynamics and also explore the concept of epistemic sovereignty and discuss how it can be made useful for understanding the relationship between science and national security during periods of strained international relations. By drawing on preliminary findings from studying China’s environmental research program in the Arctic, I will try to show that by following Chinese researchers as they balance national and professional pressures, navigate geopolitical fissures, and negotiate their roles as both researchers and diplomats, we are able to gain new knowledge about how scientists and their work are become bound up in larger geopolitical contexts.

Discussant

Jelena Große-Bley