Between Science and the Expertise of the Elders

Brill, Saskia (2019): Between Science and the Expertise of the Elders. In: Kleemann, Katrin and Oomen, Jeroen (eds.) : Communicating the Climate: From Knowing Change to Changing Knowledge. RCC Perspectives: Transformations in Environment and Society, Vol. 4. pp. 61-68

Abstract

Drawing on the work of Bruno Latour, Brill traces the distinction between “Science” as the producer of hegemonic knowledge, and the “sciences” as a multiplicity of disciplines and emplaced practices. Through a discussion of cooperative research with Indigenous Nations in Canada, Brill suggests that successful environmental communication needs to grapple with both of these aspects, which are usually subsumed under the term science—integrating more voices, including nonhuman voices, into the “sciences” can put scientific results on a firmer political footing, yet the authority of Science can act as a lingua franca and be used by non-elite groups to communicate beyond particular settings.

• Item Type: Book Section
• Faculties: Cultural Studies > Department of Ancient and Modern Cultures > Ethnology
• Research Centers: Rachel Carson Center for Environment and Society (RCC)
• Subjects: 300 Social sciences > 300 Social sciences, sociology and anthropology