IN THE BACKROOMS OF SCIENCE - THE WORK OF TECHNICIANS IN SCIENCE LABS

This article presents data from an ethnographic study of science techn icians The article proposes a model of the science technician's role a s broker in a serially interdependent occupational division of labor a nd then contextualizes the model by examining how technicians conceptu alize and manage troubles that arise in the course of scientific proce dures. The data suggest that technicians possess most of a lab's conte xtual knowledge and skill and that technicians, therefore, play a crit ical role in the production of scientific knowledge. Because contextua l knowledge carries less status than formal knowledge, however technic ians experience status inconsistencies. The implications of such statu s inconsistencies for the transition to an increasingly technical work force are discussed.