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Popularizing dissent: A civil society perspective
Judy Motion1, Shirley Leitch2, C Kay Weaver3
1University of New South Wales, Australia jmotion@unsw.edu.au.
Public Understanding of Science (Bristol, England)
|November 15, 2014
Summary
Civil society groups in New Zealand use popularization strategies to increase public participation in science governance and challenge genetic modification. Integrating popularity and politicization tactics can escalate controversy and drive action.
Area of Science:
- Science and Technology Studies
- Sociology of Science
- Public Engagement with Science
Background:
- Civil society groups actively engage in public discourse surrounding emerging technologies.
- Genetic modification (GM) presents complex challenges for science-society governance.
- Public participation in science policy remains a critical area of study.
Purpose of the Study:
- To theorize civil society groups' popularization of opposition to genetic modification in New Zealand.
- To analyze these efforts as deliberative interventions promoting public participation in science governance.
- To identify strategies for enhancing the effectiveness of civic popularization efforts.
Main Methods:
- Theoretical analysis of civil society group strategies.
- Examination of popularization and politicization tactics.
- Case study focusing on New Zealand's genetic modification debate.
Main Results:
- Popularization strategies aim to intensify social justice and democratic concerns regarding GM.
- These efforts mobilize dissent and provide mechanisms for public protest and participation.
- Successful civic popularization integrates popularity and politicization to escalate controversy and provoke action.
Conclusions:
- Civil society's popularization of GM opposition can be viewed as a form of deliberative intervention.
- Strategic integration of popularity and politicization is key to re-negotiating power and fostering agency.
- These interventions open avenues for meaningful public participation in science-society governance.
Keywords:
activistcontroversydeliberationdissentgenetic modificationpoliticizationpopular culturepopularizationMore Related Videos
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