Religious Representation in Science: How Scientists in the U.S, Mexico and South Africa Respond

• In Event: 50462 - Section on Science, Knowledge, and Technology Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Table 11: Boundary Work

Abstract

A closer look at discussions about and efforts to increase representation in STEM, reveals three gaps in the research literature. First, existing studies rarely examine the presence of religious people in the STEM fields, especially how scientists themselves view the presence of religious people in STEM. Second, even though science is global, few studies examine representation of religious people cross nationally. Third, existing research does not concretely investigate how scientists perceive the religious people in science around them, rather than religion per se. Religion is not only a belief system but is an embodied identity that overlaps with other identities. To fill these gaps here we ask: how do scientists in three national contexts (Mexico, the United States, and South Africa) respond to the presence and potential presence of religious people in university science careers? To this end, we conducted 53 in-depth interviews with biologists and physicists at leading universities in Mexico, the United States, and South Africa. All interviews were transcribed, with interviews conducted in Spanish first transcribed in Spanish and then translated into English. Analysis of the interview narratives involved a two-step process: descriptive coding was used to summarize and systematically categorize the scientists' responses, while interpretive coding involved identifying patterns and themes emerging from the descriptive categories. We found that most scientists rarely discuss religion in the course of their scientific work. Finally most scientists stated that they believe religious discrimination is nonexistent in the scientific community. Examining how scientists from different countries perceive the presence of religious people in science will provide a more nuanced understanding of how to increase access to university STEM careers among those who are underrepresented, the public acceptance of science among religious people, and how scientists in different national contexts negotiate the demarcation problem

Authors

• Moses Ohene Biney, Rice University

• Zikang Hou, Rice University

• Elaine Howard Ecklund, Rice University