Description du projet
La première historiographie complète du GPS
Le système de positionnement mondial (GPS) constitue une importante innovation de l’après-guerre qui a révolutionné un grand nombre de domaines. Cependant, une historiographie du GPS fait toujours défaut. Le projet Inventing GPS, financé par l’UE, fournira la première étude historiographique complète du développement du GPS en utilisant de nouvelles preuves d’archives empiriques et des entretiens détaillés sur l’histoire orale. Le projet analysera l’histoire de la navigation par satellite, contribuant ainsi à la conception de politiques pertinentes pour la politique commune de sécurité et de défense de l’UE. Les chercheurs se concentreront sur l’interconnexion de l’innovation technologique dans la navigation par satellite avec la politique de la guerre froide et la culture militaire et stratégique. Inventing GPS analysera également l’impact du système mondial de navigation par satellite Galileo sur la sécurité européenne.
Objectif
One of the most significant technological innovations of the post-war era, the development of GPS revolutionised the way we navigate, fight wars, design maps, and keep time. However, a GPS historiography does not exist yet. The objective of this project is to provide the first in-depth historiographical study of Global Positioning System (GPS) development through new empirical archival evidence and extensive oral history interviews. Relatedly, by exploring the history of satellite-navigation, the project will also contribute to designing policies relevant to the EU’s Common Defence and Security Policy (CDSP). The project will highlight the interconnection of technological innovation in the field of satellite-based navigation with Cold War politics and military-strategic culture. The overarching argument is that the development of GPS was born out of the paradigm transformation that took place within the U.S. Air Force in the early-to-mid 1970s in favour of a ‘counterforce’ military doctrine. The ancillary argument is that GPS was part of a broader attempt by the United States to direct R&D efforts towards regaining qualitative and technological superiority over the Soviet Union in the aftermath of the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks. Additionally, through innovative ‘applied history’ methods, the project will analyse the implications of GALILEO for the future of European security. These issues are particularly timely in the context of increased international tension, the erosion of U.S. leadership in European defence matters, and the related initiatives to further integrate EU defence policies parallel to NATO, particularly after Brexit. Against this background, the project will assess the relevance of independent access to satellite-navigation as an essential tool in any far-sighted policy of EU defence integration. The action will allow the ER to establish himself as a leading scholar in his field and be competitive in the European academic job market.
Champ scientifique
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Programme(s)
Régime de financement
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)Coordinateur
30123 Venezia
Italie