The Valuable Plurality of the Citizen Sciences

Michiel van Oudheusden, Anna Berti Suman, Tine Huyse, Huib Huyse, Fabien Medvecky

Research output: Contribution to JournalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Citizen science is a multilayered concept. Although it is generally understood as a form of public engagement with science and technology, it can take various forms, with widely different roles for citizens. Despite this vastness, a contributory strand of citizen science dominates the field, which formally limits citizens’ roles to those of data gatherers for professional scientists or experts. This has led critics to argue that citizen science is not as inclusive, socially transformative, or democratizing as its advocates claim, and to appeals by scholars, practitioners, and policymakers for more dialogue and deliberation in all stages of citizen science processes. In this piece, we share our reflections on these questions drawing on our experiences as participant observers in contributory citizen science projects in various parts of the world. Responding to the above critiques, we illustrate how such projects can have emancipatory potential in terms of impacting policy agendas, inciting behavioral change, and engaging hard-to-reach societal groups. We argue that the future of citizen science lies in pluralizing the citizen sciences by experimenting with various modes of democratic representation, participation, and deliberation.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)10-20
Number of pages11
JournalScience & Technology Studies
Volume13
Issue number1
Early online date6 Jun 2023
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2024

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 Finnish Society for Science and Technology Studies. All rights reserved.

Funding

We are grateful to Caren Cooper, Sachit Mahajan, Hussein Zeidan, Maxson Anyolitho, and Mercy Gloria Ashepet for their comments on earlier versions of this paper. Author Anna Berti Suman’s research was supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant n. 891513, awarded under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Funding Program. Views and opinions expressed in this article by author Anna Berti Suman are those of the author only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Commission. The ATRAP project is financed by the Development Cooperation program of the Royal Museum for Central Africa with support of the Belgian Directorate-General Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid.

FundersFunder number
Belgian Directorate-General Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid
Royal Museum for Central Africa
Horizon 2020 Framework Programme
H2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions891513

    Keywords

    • Citizen Science
    • Contribution
    • Deliberation
    • Empowerment
    • Participation
    • Pluralism

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