Tensions and Challenges for Environmental Citizen Science II: Expertise and the State

Session Submission Type: Traditional (Closed) Panel

Abstract

Citizen science is at the heart of many of today’s environmental controversies. Natural scientists have also shown tremendous interest in using citizens to generate data, and many people are excited about participating in gamified, crowd-sourced, big data collection. STS scholarship has typically applauded these efforts because they make science more participatory, providing an example of the democratization of science, or, at least, more equitable engagement between experts and the lay public. However, citizen science may or may not produce knowledge that is useful to environmental activists. Additionally, the degree to which citizen science can help communities to address social inequality, rectify environmental injustice, and produce accountability of government and corporate entities varies depending on broader political and social contexts. This panel seeks presentations from scholars who critically examine how citizen science enhances struggles for social change beyond merely generating data through volunteer participation. We are particularly interested in projects that situate dilemmas and tensions in citizen science in the broader context of colonialism, neoliberalization, globalization, and scientization. For example, citizen science can inadvertently facilitate neoliberal budget cuts in environmental monitoring, further reducing government capacity. Likewise, citizen science can accelerate the “scientization” of environmental issues, reducing complex social and ethical challenges to technical matters.

Sub Unit

• 4S Annual Meeting

Chair

• Aya Hirata Kimura, University of Hawaii

Discussant

• Abby Kinchy, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Individual Presentations

• Tracking Changes to US Federal Data in a “Post-Truth” World - Rebecca Lave, Indiana University Deparment Of Geography

• Gendered Scientization and Citizen Science - Aya Hirata Kimura, University of Hawaii

• Using Indexical Design and Counter-Mapping to Collaboratively Ground the Hazards of Oil and Gas Extraction - Lourdes Annette Vera, Northeastern University; Sara Wylie, Northeastern University; Drew Michanowicz, Harvard School of Public Health