Trevor J. Pinch (1 January 1952 – 16 December 2021) was a British
sociologist, part-time musician and chair of the
Science and Technology Studies
Science and technology studies (STS) is an interdisciplinary field that examines the creation, development, and consequences of science and technology in their historical, cultural, and social contexts.
History
Like most interdisciplinary fie ...
department at
Cornell University
Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...
. In 2018, he won the
J.D. Bernal Prize from the
Society for Social Studies of Science
The Society for Social Studies of Science (4S) is a non-profit scholarly association devoted to the social studies of science and technology (STS). It was founded in 1975 and as of 2008 its international membership exceeds 1,200. In 2016, over ...
for "distinguished contributions to Science and Technology Studies over the course of
career".
Life and career
Pinch was born in
Lisnaskea
Lisnaskea () is the second-biggest settlement in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is situated mainly in the townland of Lisoneill, with some areas in the townland of Castle Balfour Demesne, both in the civil parish of Aghalurcher and the ...
, Northern Ireland on 1 January 1952.
He held a degree in
Physics
Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...
from
Imperial College London
Imperial College London (legally Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom. Its history began with Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria, who developed his vision for a cu ...
and a PhD in Sociology from the
University of Bath
(Virgil, Georgics II)
, mottoeng = Learn the culture proper to each after its kind
, established = 1886 (Merchant Venturers Technical College) 1960 (Bristol College of Science and Technology) 1966 (Bath University of Technology) 1971 (univ ...
.
He taught sociology at the
University of York before moving to the United States. Together with
Wiebe Bijker
Wiebe E. Bijker (born 19 March 1951, Delft) is a Dutch professor Emeritus, former chair of the Department of Social Science and Technology at Maastricht University in the Netherlands.
Early life
Bijker's father was an engineer involved in imp ...
, Pinch started the movement known as
Social Construction of Technology
Social construction of technology (SCOT) is a theory within the field of science and technology studies. Advocates of SCOT—that is, social constructivists—argue that technology does not determine human action, but that rather, human action ...
(SCOT) within the sociology of science.
Pinch died from cancer, four years after his initial diagnosis, on 16 December 2021, at the age of 69.
Works
Pinch was a significant contributor to the study of
Sound culture, and his books include a major study of
Robert Moog
Robert Arthur Moog ( ; May 23, 1934 – August 21, 2005) was an American engineer and electronic music pioneer. He was the founder of the synthesizer manufacturer Moog Music and the inventor of the first commercial synthesizer, the Moog synthesi ...
. His book, ''Confronting Nature'' is widely considered the definitive sociological account of the history of the solar neutrino problem, and was mentioned by Raymond Davis in his 2002 Nobel Prize autobiography.
Books
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Chapters in books
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Journal articles
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References
External links
Trevor Pinch at Cornell S&TS
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pinch, Trevor
1952 births
2021 deaths
Alumni of Imperial College London
Alumni of the University of Bath
Academics of the University of York
Cornell University faculty
Historians of technology
Scottish sociologists
Social constructionism
Sociologists of science
People from Lisnaskea