Socially inclusive science communication

Abstract

Social inclusion is an emerging preoccupation in the science communication field. The political value of science communication (e.g. in terms of empowerment) and the necessity to address all audiences has always been considered, but in recent times the participation agenda has enriched the rationale and methodologies of the communication of science: social inclusion is not only an issue of access to knowledge, but also of governance and co-production.

Moving Toward Inclusion: Participant Responses to the Inclusive SciComm Symposium

“…Participants who expressed a knowledge-oriented response explained that the symposium made them think differently or taught them something (Mack et al, 2012;Featherstone, 2014). This theme had the most responses.…”

Science Communication Demands a Critical Approach That Centers Inclusion, Equity, and Intersectionality

“…Because science communication is inherently contextual (Chilvers, 2012;Streicher et al, 2014;Bang et al, 2018), it is well-suited to counter assumptions of the Western model. ISC offers a critical approach that interrogates history, politics, and society, examining how people's multiple identities interact to affect their engagement with STEMM fields and issues of societal relevance (Feinstein and Meshoulam, 2014;Massarani and Merzagora, 2014;Schuldt and Pearson, 2016;Bevan et al, 2018;Calabrese Barton and Tan, 2019). ISC can leverage society's intellectual assets (knowledge, experience, ways of knowing) to address the many wicked problems of our time (Rittel and Webber, 1973).…”

“…Reich et al (2010, p. 10) described inclusive ISL as encompassing "physical, cognitive, and social dimensions", but efforts at inclusion often focus on access as the primary impediment to STEMM engagement (Rahm and Ash, 2008). Such oversimplifications fail to address assumptions about who belongs in STEMM spaces, forcing marginalized populations to participate in a space they have historically been excluded from, implicitly, explicitly, and/or intentionally (Dawson, 2014c(Dawson, , 2019Massarani and Merzagora, 2014;Bevan et al, 2018).…”

Communicating Science for social inclusion and political engagement: reflections on the PCST Conference, Brazil 2014

“…This bi-annual conference has been organised by the PCST network since 1989 with the aim of encouraging discussion and sharing experiences about the practice and research of science communication. To date, the conference has been hosted by countries in Europe (7), Asia (2), Africa (1), North America (1) and Australia (1). However, this is the first time that it has taken place in Latin America.…”

“…The central theme of the conference was 'science communication for social inclusion and political engagement'. The theme of social inclusion is an emerging preoccupation in the science communication field [1]. It reflects the important role that science plays in economic and social development and is a reminder that while the public in developed nations might be enjoying greater access to science and technology, much of the world still faces poverty and social exclusion.…”