Producing Knowledge: The Social Made Visible in the Division of Environmental Biology of the National Science Foundation

This inquiry explores how knowledge is produced in the Division of Environmental Biology (DEB) of the National Science Foundation. Beginning from a poststructuralist understanding of science as firmly embedded in the unequal relations of society, this study sought to examine how the policies and procedures of funding research proposals in DEB influence and are influenced by those relations. Using an institutional ethnography approach to analysis, data were collected from analyzing publicly available texts from the division, NSF, Congress, the Office of Management and Budget, and the research community. The analysis demonstrates how the activities of DEB could maintain or exacerbate inequality in the absence of critical engagement with the ruling relations present in the Division\u27s processes. The inquiry suggests opportunities for federal funders of science to ensure their work is oriented toward confronting inequality and creating social justice