The role of historical experience and trust in the communication of emerging technologies: the case of nanotechnologies

Literature on the changes in the Science, Technology and Society relationship and the evolution of Public Communication of Science and Technology (PCST) over the past decades is abundant, although there has been little emphasis on the origin of opposing positions in science and technology controversies. We use the dichotomy of technical and social relations as a theoretical tool to explain the roots for different perception of emerging technologies in various sectors, with nanotechnologies as an empirical example. It is concluded that historical experience, related to social relations, must be considered an essential criterion for risk assessment and PCST practice.