Anderson, B. (2009). Affective atmospheres. Emotion, space and society, 2(2), 77-81.
This article examines ongoing global inequalities in scientific knowledge by examining a 16-month collaboration (2015–2018) between Ugandan and Australian teams working on vitamin A-enriched matooke bananas, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The main question is how scientific insights from the Global South are recognized. Calkins points to three main reasons for these inequalities. First, there are material differences: Ugandan labs often deal with power outages and shortages, while Australian labs have steady resources. Second, there are hierarchies in discipline and location, with Ugandan teams doing routine testing and Australian teams handling both experiments and theory. Third, Calkins introduces the idea of affective atmospheres, which are emotional environments (Anderson, 2009; Stewart, 2011) that shape how people experience and imagine possibilities. The lab is described as serious and demanding, which brings both value and frustration. The field, on the other hand, feels lighter and more creative, though it is seen as lower status.
Even though Uganda is often seen as a peripheral country and the field is not considered a main scientific space, the Ugandan field trial produces new scientific insights. Researchers note that banana plants act as fragile, stubborn, and expressive individuals in their environment, a trait often overlooked in lab-focused research. Ugandan scientists do not accept the term “ruination science” and want to be fully involved in global molecular biology. Calkins calls for “re-affecting science” (Puig de la Bellacasa, 2011) to challenge traditional norms, value Southern field knowledge, and include caring attitudes. This approach suggests a decolonial biology that pays attention to plants, emotions, and Southern expertise. In a metaphor, bananas are made uniform in the lab but become unique in the field, each taking its own path within the larger scientific system.
Affective atmospheres offer a better way to explain scientific work than traditional approaches because they capture the immediate, sensory, and emotional sides of practice that are often missed by broader analyses. The field’s playful and light mood encourages uncertainty, involvement, and creativity, while the serious lab environment limits surprise and treats plants as objects. To stop the outsourcing of routine work in North-South collaborations, changes are needed, such as fair funding, inclusive experiment design, two-way training, and shared decision-making that gives Southern institutions real power. In modern biotechnology, including CRISPR projects, ignoring local effects and Southern expertise can perpetuate inequalities and create technologies that lack connection to place. To move toward decolonial biotechnology, it is important to involve Southern scientists and farmers from the start, value the field’s atmosphere, and support caring, playful ways of working.
#Academic JourneyLast modified on 2026-01-20