Paper: "Sociological implications of scientific publishing"
Sociological implications of scientific publishing: Open access, science, society, democracy, and the digital divide Ulrich Herb. First Monday , Volume 15, Number 2 - 1 February 2010 Claims for open access are mostly underpinned with science–related arguments (open access accelerates scientific communication); financial arguments (open access relieves the serials crisis); social arguments (open access reduces the digital divide); democracy–related arguments (open access facilitates participation); and, socio–political arguments (open access levels disparities). Using sociological concepts and notions, this article focuses strongly on Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of (scientific) capital and its implications for the acceptance of open access, Michel Foucault’s discourse analysis and the implications of open access for the concept of the digital divide. Bourdieu’s theory of capital implies that the acceptance of open access depends on the logic of power and the accumulation of ...