Editing, Cooking, and Transforming

When we were brainstorming a title during this journal's launch period in 2006, I proposed Chopsticks and Rice Cookers. I thought these shared artifacts, with nuanced differences in different regions, could symbolize the features of science and technology in East Asia. My STS colleagues, however, were worried that our journal would be shelved under “food and drink,” so they promptly vetoed my suggestions and asked me to be more serious. (I was being serious!) Nevertheless, as over the past three years I've had the honor to serve as editor in chief, I did indeed experience editing work as a kind of collective cooking. I was in a privileged position to see how tremendous efforts have been put into the EASTS kitchens. STSers around the world have offered rich and diverse ingredients, with different cooking skills and magic seasonings, making possible...