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SUMMARY:Preparing for doomsday: vulnerability and the contemporary history
  of genebanking\, 1970–2008 - Sara Peres (Department of History and Phil
 osophy of Science)
DTSTART:20170130T130000Z
DTEND:20170130T140000Z
UID:TALK69763@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Edwin Rose
DESCRIPTION:In January 2008\, the first shipments of samples of agricultur
 al seeds were deposited within the reinforced concrete walls of the Svalba
 rd Global Seed Vault\, in the Arctic island of Spitsbergen. This iconic re
 pository\, sometimes dubbed the 'Doomsday Vault'\, has a particularly inte
 resting function as a 'safety back-up' for other existing genebank collect
 ions. Its existence therefore shows that\, despite the ideas of security i
 mplicit in the 'bank' metaphor\, the loss of genebanks\, and of material w
 ithin them\, are substantial concerns of plant conservationists and policy
 -makers.\n\nIn this talk\, I explore the contemporary history of genebanki
 ng by investigating how actors conceptualized the susceptibility of geneba
 nks to catastrophes great and small\, from conflict to lack of funding\, a
 long with proposed solutions to these risks through 'safety duplication'\,
  culminating in the establishment of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. Conce
 rns with the appropriate way to ensure the security of genebanks and their
  materials figure prominently in international policy discussions about ho
 w to organize and fund conservation\, and I argue that they are important 
 in shaping the contemporary 'global system'. The contrast between the pote
 ntial vulnerability of genebanks and their remit of securing diversity mak
 es evident that maintaining collections for the long-term involves technic
 al\, infrastructural and social challenges\, and that their continued exis
 tence cannot be taken for granted. Thus\, this account shows the value in 
 being attentive to the role of concerns about vulnerability in shaping the
  evolution of genebanking as actors seek to ensure their continued existen
 ce.
LOCATION:Seminar Room 1\, Department of History and Philosophy of Science
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