Beverly Gibbs

In her PhD thesis, Beverly Gibbs developed a typology of the scientific citizens based on a wide literature analysis. In particular, five different kinds of citizens are considered:

  • Recipient citizen: it refers to citizens as they were conceived in the context of the Public Understanding of Science, i.e. passive individuals enjoying the rights to be informed about scientific developments and contents
  • Consumer citizen: this concept refers to citizens as “consumer” of scientific contents, for entertainment, personal interests, professional activities or other reasons
  • Dialogic citizen: this notion refers to citizens as “stakeholders” in the political issues connected to science and technology and therefore as active players in public debate on science, able to interact on an equal basis with traditional science players (policy makers, researchers, etc.)
  • Epistemic citizen: in this case, the concept refers to citizens fully involved with the research process, at different levels (identification of the research questions, research design, research implementation, research-based innovation, etc.)
  • Activist citizen: this concept refers to citizens expressing an antagonistic stance towards science and technology.

Such a typology is developed in the following table.

Recipient Citizen Consumer Citizen Dialogic Citizen Epistemic Citizen Activist Citizen
Literature base Public Understanding of Science Science Centres

Interaction

 Public Engagement with Science Patient Involvement

Citizen science

 Activism

Counterpublics
Membership:

sources and

attributes of

publics

 “Everyone”, homogenous

Passive, receptive

Ready to be educated, enthused

 Self-selecting

“Everyone”

To be excited about/supportive of science and technologies

 Formally

Recruited

Demographically “representa-tive“

Created

 Stakeholders-identity tied into issue

Emergent

Collaborator

 Socially recruited

Emergent

Polarised “unwelcome”

Antagonistic
Rights of citizens Clear, timely information that can be trusted To know what scientists do

Be given information is an entertaining and interesting way

 To assert some level of influence on future issues that will ultimately affect them To be intimately involved in issues that affect them directly

To be able to contribute to the endeavour

To have their own expertise recognised

 To make up their own minds

To find and pursue solutions that work for them

Personal conscience is greater than allegiance to establishment
Responsibilities

of citizens

To act in accordance

with information

To trust expert knowledge above other forms
To direct own resources to consuming science To speak for the public they

represent
To offer something of themselves which will later be of more general benefit To defend a wider public, sometimes global

To make a personal commitment to the topic/cause
Participation:

Modes and Styles

 Lectures

Science Centres

Informal science events eg busking, café scientifique

 Science festivals

Bright Club

 Formal dialogue eg Sciencewise

Informal dialogue eg events at science centres and festivals

 Citizen science

Patient involvement

 Activism

Protest

 

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