Science by, with and for citizens: rethinking ‘citizen science’ after the 2011 Fukushima disaster

J. Kenens; M. Van Oudheusden; G. Yoshizawa; I. Van Hoyweghen

doi:10.1057/s41599-020-0434-3

Science by, with and for citizens: rethinking ‘citizen science’ after the 2011 Fukushima disaster

J. Kenens, M. Van Oudheusden, G. Yoshizawa, I. Van Hoyweghen

Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article › Academic › peer-review

Abstract

© 2020, The Author(s).This study illustrates how citizen-driven radiation monitoring has emerged in post-Fukushima Japan, where citizens generate their own radiation data and measurement devices to provide public with actionable data about their environments. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork in and around Fukushima Prefecture, it highlights the multifaceted character of these bottom-up, citizen-led efforts, contrasting these initiatives with the emergence of “citizen participatory” science policy discourses in Japan. Recognizing the contested nature of citizenship in Japan and in the nuclear arena, the article considers how terms and definitions shape the participation of citizens and other stakeholders (local communities, public authorities, regulators, and professional scientists) in science and technology in culturally and historically specific ways. It builds on these observations to open up new spaces of expertise, which engage all stakeholders through social-scientific intervention.

Original language	English
Article number	58
Journal	Palgrave Communications
Volume	6
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-020-0434-3
Publication status	Published - 1 Dec 2020
Externally published	Yes

Funding

The research team thank all research participants for their time and contributions. They also thank Catrinel Turcanu (SCK CEN) and Ueda Akifumi (CSIJ) for their input. Research for this project received support through a Bilateral Joint Research Agreement between the Research Fund - Flanders (FWO) and the Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) (VS05517N). Fieldwork reported in this study was realized in the framework of a PhD at SCK CEN and KU Leuven. The second author’s work is funded by the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 MSCA-IF-2018 research funding scheme (grant number 836989).

Funders	Funder number
European Commission’s Horizon 2020 MSCA-IF-2018
Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science	VS05517N
Research Fund - Flanders
Horizon 2020 Framework Programme	836989
Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek

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abstract = "{\textcopyright} 2020, The Author(s).This study illustrates how citizen-driven radiation monitoring has emerged in post-Fukushima Japan, where citizens generate their own radiation data and measurement devices to provide public with actionable data about their environments. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork in and around Fukushima Prefecture, it highlights the multifaceted character of these bottom-up, citizen-led efforts, contrasting these initiatives with the emergence of “citizen participatory” science policy discourses in Japan. Recognizing the contested nature of citizenship in Japan and in the nuclear arena, the article considers how terms and definitions shape the participation of citizens and other stakeholders (local communities, public authorities, regulators, and professional scientists) in science and technology in culturally and historically specific ways. It builds on these observations to open up new spaces of expertise, which engage all stakeholders through social-scientific intervention.",

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Science by, with and for citizens: rethinking ‘citizen science’ after the 2011 Fukushima disaster

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