Deliberation, Dialogue or Dissemination: Changing Objectives in the Communication of Science and Technology in Denmark

Abstract

AbstractThis chapter provides an introduction to the Danish landscape of science communication, which is built on a deeply rooted culture of equality and anti-elitism. Within this cultural tradition, citizens have a moral right to question the testimony of authorities and to counter it with their own experiences of ordinary life. The tradition is described by a short introduction to one of its most influential proponents, the nineteenth century priest, poet and politician, N.F.S. Grundtvig, who promoted a particular educational philosophy in which citizens were expected to be able to reach consensus through deliberation about the life to lead in common. The teachings of Grundtvig were an important factor in the establishment of Danish deliberative institutions, such as the Danish Board of Technology and the Danish Council of Ethics, but the same anti-elitism has also been invoked in arguments to close them down. Describing how a change in government in 2001 had significant negative impacts on those institutions, the chapter demonstrates that the development of science communication in Denmark is less straightforwardly focused on dialogue and deliberation than many outside commentators believe. While the engagement agenda has grown in other countries since 2000, Denmark has moved in the opposite direction—towards a more traditional deficit model of public understanding of science. A legislative change in 2003 made it mandatory for universities to conduct outreach and science communication. Simultaneously, Danish universities increasingly find themselves in competition for resources, such as funding and well-qualified staff and students. In this situation, science communication is becoming an important ingredient of organizational branding. The chapter concludes with a discussion of how individual research managers in bio- and nanotechnology have adapted to this situation and how they describe their own communication practice.KeywordsAnti-elitismBrandingConsensus conferencesDanish Board of TechnologyDanish Council of EthicsDeliberationDeficit modelGrundtvigInstitutionalizationResearch managers