Critical Narratives in Science

Transformative knowledge demands sustained attention to issues of culture, meaning and imagination. This includes the question of what forms of knowledge are meaningful in diverse settings and why. It also requires collaborative approaches to elicit and foster inclusive ways of connecting environmental, social and economic matters in the context of diverse histories, assumptions and values.

the UNESCO Chair in Science Communication for the Public Good responds to this challenge. The Chair aims to enhance the contribution of science communication research to the task of exploring and imagining the knowledge-systems needed for the 2030 Agenda and beyond. It will contribute to UNESCO’s work in fostering the development and appreciation of inclusive, integrative and diverse ways of bringing science, engineering, technology and innovation (SETI) to bear on the SDGs.

The narratives of planetary crisis - e.g., in earth systems science - and of breakthrough science - e.g., in technological visions for agriculture, conservation and medicine including synthetic biology, carbon removal and renewable energy transitions - speak in very different ways to the transformative futures invoked by numerous actors around the globe.

Our work tackles critical questions posed by these narratives and investigates how concepts of science communication for public good might answer them:

• How do different stakeholders (researchers, communities, publics, learned academies, government advisors, policymakers, journalists, businesses) make sense of the hopes, fears and transformative prospects associated with these contrasting scientific narratives?
• How do they assess the diverse, often conflicting, forms of knowledge intended to bring about change?
• Can we engage constructively across these differences and develop meaningful narratives in common?

Thematic Areas

Knowledge Transitions: 
How can knowledge arising from lived experience be recognised and integrated with various forms of expert knowledge and policy advice? What kinds of transformations might be possible and necessary in order to bridge Western and Indigenous knowledge-systems? We are addressing these questions in relation to diverse areas ranging from environmental conservation and science policy to menstrual care.  

Technological Transitions: 
How can the low-carbon energy transitions unfolding at present better integrate concerns about the social and environmental injustices arising from the need to secure critical minerals? How can emerging technologies of synthetic biology and artificial intelligence be designed, deployed and maintained to build more equitable societies and rethink economic prosperity in the process? These are some of the questions we are tackling under this theme, informed by relational ethics and responsible innovation.

Cultural Transitions:  
How can we address all of these challenges in a way that grapples with implicit cultural expectations? How can we build the vocabularies and imaginative tools for making concrete the transformation of knowledge practices and innovation systems? We are seeking to contribute to this endeavour under this theme.