Science and technology culture is now more than ever at the very heart of the social project, and all countries, to varying degrees, participate in it: raising scientific literacy, improving the image of the sciences, involving the public in debates and encouraging the young to pursue careers in the sciences. Thus, the very destiny of any society is now entwined with its ability to develop a genuine science and technology culture, accessible for participation not only to the few who, by virtue of their training or trade, work in the science and technology fields, but to all, thereby creating occasions for society to debate and to foster a positive dialogue about the directions of change and future choices. This book organized on the theme of 'knowing, sharing, caring: new insights for a diverse world', which was derived from the observation that globalization rests upon diversity-diversity of contexts, publics, research, strategies and new innovating practices-and aims to stimulate exchanges, discussions and debates, to initiate a reflection conducive to decentring and to be an opportunity for enrichment by providing the reader with means to achieve the potentialities of that diversity through a comparison of the visions that underpin the attitudes of social actors, the challenges they perceive and the potential solutions they consider. Thus, this book aims first and foremost to raise questions in such a manner that readers so stimulated will feel compelled to contribute and will do so. In this spirit, however significant, the results presented and shared are less important than the questions they seek to answer: How are we to rethink the diffusion, the propagation and the sharing of scientific thought and knowledge in an ever more complex and diverse world? What to know? What to share? How do we do it when science is broken down across the whole spectrum of the world's diversity? The book is recommended for those who are interested in science communication and science cultures in the new media era, in contemporary social dynamics, and in the evolution of the role of the state and of institutions. It is also an excellent reference for researchers engaging in science communication, public understanding of science, cultural studies, science and technology museum, science-society relationship and other fields of humanities and social sciences.

This book analyses communication of university research institutes, with a focus on science communication. Advancing the 'decentralisation hypothesis', it asserts that communication structures are increasingly built also at 'subordinate unit' levels of research universities. The book presents a cross-country systematic comparison of institutes' communication activities showing ongoing transformations in their communication capabilities and practices. It considers a potential 'arms race' in activities, professionalisation, motivations, and evaluation. Based on empirical evidence from an international study carried out in various countries across Europe, the Americas, and Asia, the book examines the possibilities for civic science communication in this new context. It will be of interest to scholars and students of Communication Studies, STS, and Science Communication as well as to those taking or leading courses in the fields of Sociology, Public Relations, Marketing, Environmental and Risk Communication, Innovation Studies, and Social Psychology. It is an essential resource for funders, practitioners, teachers, and students dealing with science communication and the position of science in society.

"Atom," "byte" and "gene" are metonymies for techno-scientific developments of the 20th century: nuclear power, computing and genetic engineering. Resistance continues to challenge these developments in public opinion. This book traces historical debates over atoms, bytes and genes which raised controversy with consequences, and argues that public opinion is a factor of the development of modern techno-science. The level and scope of public controversy is an index of resistance, examined here with a "pain analogy" which shows that just as pain impacts movement, resistance impacts techno-scientific mobilization: it signals that something is wrong, and this requires attention, elaboration and a response to the challenge. This analysis shows how different fields of enquiry deal with the resistance of social-psychological mentalities in the face of industrial, scientific and political activities inspired by projected futures.

How do you collect and analyze social data in the form of texts (interviews and documents), images (photographs, film and television footage), and sounds (noise and music)? This text shows students which methods are most suitable for particular research problems and what is good practice for each method. Focusing on the pursuit of quality in social research, the authors: explore different ways of collecting and analyzing data; introduce the main analytical approaches for text, image and sound; cover computer-based analysis; and address problems in interpretation and quality criteria for qualitative research. The book has been extensively tested with prostgraduate research methods students at the London School of Economics.

This book demonstrates the varied contributions of public resistance to technological developments. Bauer compares public resistance to three strategic technologies over the last fifty years (nuclear power, information technology, and genetic engineering), and shows how resistance contributes to efficient and sustainable developments. The theory of this book is based on a functional analogy: like pain, resistance is a signal that things are going wrong; what acute pain does for individual action, resistance does for collective projects, it motivates and defines a more realistic future. The book brings together empirical evidence from a wide range of sources, and integrates the author's own extensive research over the last fifteen years. This empirically grounded study also offers critical discussion of key concepts, such as technology movement, objectification and legitimation, representation and framing, public opinion, attitude, risk perception and public understanding, public participation and resistance, closure and re-opening, mobilization and social influence, issue cycles.

This book offers the first comparative account of the changes and stabilities of public perceptions of science within the US, France, China, Japan, and across Europe over the past few decades. The contributors address the influence of cultural factors; the question of science and religion and its influence on particular developments (e.g. stem cell research); and the demarcation of science from non-science as well as issues including the 'incommensurability' versus 'cognitive polyphasia' and the cognitive (in)tolerance of different systems of knowledge.

This book offers the first comparative account of the changes and stabilities of public perceptions of science within the US, France, China, Japan, and across Europe over the past few decades. The contributors address the influence of cultural factors; the question of science and religion and its influence on particular developments (e.g. stem cell research); and the demarcation of science from non-science as well as issues including the incommensurability' versus cognitive polyphasia' and the cognitive (in)tolerance of different systems of knowledge.

Analyzing the role of journalists in science communication, this book presents a perspective on how this is going to evolve in the twenty-first century. The book takes three distinct perspectives on this interesting subject. Firstly, science journalists reflect on their 'operating rules' (science news values and news making routines). Secondly, a brief history of science journalism puts things into context, characterising the changing output of science writing in newspapers over time. Finally, the book invites several international journalists or communication scholars to comment on these observations thereby opening the global perspective. This unique project will interest a range of readers including science communication students, media studies scholars, professionals working in science communication and journalists.

From the mid 1990s to the present day, agricultural biotechnology - GM crops and foods - has been the focus of debate and conflict in many European countries. Contrasting views of risks and benefits, trust in science and regulation, the understanding of science, media coverage and mobilization of the public by civil society groups - all have been cited as drivers of public opinion. Designed in part to allay public concerns about GM agriculture, a European moratorium led to a new regulatory framework. The long running controversy is a signal that the public's view cannot be ignored in the development and implementation of new technologies arising out of genomics. Yet, agricultural biotechnologies are but one development in this area. Genetic testing and the uses of genetic information, the cloning of human cells and tissues, and transgenic animals are potentially no less challenging for the public and regulators alike. This volume, by an international group of social scientists from Europe, North America and Japan, presents a series of comparative perspectives on the social, ethical and legal implications of genomics. The aim is to capture lessons from the controversies of the 1990s and to raise the level of debate on the societal implications of new developments in genomics.

Analyzing the role of journalists in science communication, this book presents a perspective on how this is going to evolve in the twenty-first century.

The book takes three distinct perspectives on this interesting subject. Firstly, science journalists reflect on their a ~operating rulesa (TM) (science news values and news making routines). Secondly, a brief history of science journalism puts things into context, characterising the changing output of science writing in newspapers over time. Finally, the book invites several international journalists or communication scholars to comment on these observations thereby opening the global perspective.

This unique project will interest a range of readers including science communication students, media studies scholars, professionals working in science communication and journalists.

Science and technology culture is now more than ever at the very heart of the social project, and all countries, to varying degrees, participate in it: raising scientific literacy, improving the image of the sciences, involving the public in debates and encouraging the young to pursue careers in the sciences. Thus, the very destiny of any society is now entwined with its ability to develop a genuine science and technology culture, accessible for participation not only to the few who, by virtue of their training or trade, work in the science and technology fields, but to all, thereby creating occasions for society to debate and to foster a positive dialogue about the directions of change and future choices. This book organized on the theme of 'knowing, sharing, caring: new insights for a diverse world', which was derived from the observation that globalization rests upon diversity-diversity of contexts, publics, research, strategies and new innovating practices-and aims to stimulate exchanges, discussions and debates, to initiate a reflection conducive to decentring and to be an opportunity for enrichment by providing the reader with means to achieve the potentialities of that diversity through a comparison of the visions that underpin the attitudes of social actors, the challenges they perceive and the potential solutions they consider. Thus, this book aims first and foremost to raise questions in such a manner that readers so stimulated will feel compelled to contribute and will do so. In this spirit, however significant, the results presented and shared are less important than the questions they seek to answer: How are we to rethink the diffusion, the propagation and the sharing of scientific thought and knowledge in an ever more complex and diverse world? What to know? What to share? How do we do it when science is broken down across the whole spectrum of the world's diversity? The book is recommended for those who are interested in science communication and science cultures in the new media era, in contemporary social dynamics, and in the evolution of the role of the state and of institutions. It is also an excellent reference for researchers engaging in science communication, public understanding of science, cultural studies, science and technology museum, science-society relationship and other fields of humanities and social sciences.

This volume brings together the full range of modalities of social influence - from crowding, leadership, and norm formation to resistance and mass mediation - to set out a challenge-and-response 'cyclone' model. The authors use real-world examples to ground this model and review each modality of social influence in depth. A 'periodic table of social influence' is constructed that characterises and compares exercises of influence in practical terms. The wider implications of social influence are considered, such as how each exercise of a single modality stimulates responses from other modalities and how any everyday process is likely to arise from a mix of influences. The book demonstrates that different modalities of social influence are tactics that defend, question, and develop 'common sense' over time and offers advice to those studying in political and social movements, social change, and management.

This volume brings together the full range of modalities of social influence - from crowding, leadership, and norm formation to resistance and mass mediation - to set out a challenge-and-response 'cyclone' model. The authors use real-world examples to ground this model and review each modality of social influence in depth. A 'periodic table of social influence' is constructed that characterises and compares exercises of influence in practical terms. The wider implications of social influence are considered, such as how each exercise of a single modality stimulates responses from other modalities and how any everyday process is likely to arise from a mix of influences. The book demonstrates that different modalities of social influence are tactics that defend, question, and develop 'common sense' over time and offers advice to those studying in political and social movements, social change, and management.

Resistance used to mean irrational and reactionary behaviour, assuming that rationality resides on the side of progress and its parties. The end of the Cold War allows us to drop ideological and prejudicial analysis. Indeed, we recognise that resistance is a historical constant, and its relation to rationality or irrationality is not predetermined.This volume asks: to what extent are social scientific conceptions of `resistances' sui generis, or borrowed from natural sciences by metaphor and analogy? To what extent do the social sciences continue to be a `social tribology' lubricating a process of strategic changes?Fifteen authors explore these questions from the point of view of different disciplines including physics, biology, social psychology, history of science, history of medicine, legal theory, political science, history, police studies, psychotherapy research and art theory.The book offers a unique panorama of concepts of `resistance' and examines the potential of a general `resistology' across diverse practices of rationality.

How do you collect and analyze social data in the form of texts (interviews and documents), images (photographs, film and television footage), and sounds (noise and music)? This text shows students which methods are most suitable for particular research problems and what is good practice for each method. Focusing on the pursuit of quality in social research, the authors: explore different ways of collecting and analyzing data; introduce the main analytical approaches for text, image and sound; cover computer-based analysis; and address problems in interpretation and quality criteria for qualitative research. The book has been extensively tested with prostgraduate research methods students at the London School of Economics.