An Introduction to the Forum and Its Origins

In October and November of 2008, the distinguished feminist scientist and scholar Evelyn Fox Keller visited Taiwan and gave a series of lectures, including the keynote speech at the International Conference of Global Women Scientists held at Taiwan's National Yang-Ming University. We were unaware at the time that Keller had presented a paper at the International Congress for the History of Science in Beijing in 2005, titled “Globalization, Scientific Lexicons, and the Future of Biology.” After Keller's visit to Taiwan, she discussed with Karine Chemla and Francesca Bray (historians of science and technology, and close friends of hers) the possibility of the newly launched EASTS running a special issue called “Language Matters,” a proposal that, as editor-in-chief at the time, I strongly endorsed. Keller, Chemla, and Bray enthusiastically discussed the details of “Language Matters” and proposed that invited papers be submitted...