Abstract
This paper investigates how participatory knowledge production may contribute to more democratic sustainability governance. It develops an analytical framework in order to perform a systematic analysis of the GammaSense project in the Netherlands, on the measurement of gamma radiation by citizens. The paper first of all concludes that the way in which participation takes place throughout each and every stage of the knowledge production process, including technically complex issues such as the design of the measurement system and analytical toolset, has consequences for (a) which aspects of the gamma radiation decision-making process can potentially be democratized; (b) who gains a voice on the issue; (c) which form of democratization process is potentially facilitated. Secondly, the democratizing effects of setting the purpose of knowledge production, defining the research object and developing the methodological toolset are closely intertwined. Finally, providing space for multiple epistemologies and being attentive towards the role of material objects—the issue at hand and the methodological devices—are of crucial importance to realize the democratizing ambitions that the GammaSense project aimed to contribute towards.
Highlights
Since the 1960s, citizens have increasingly been engaging with knowledge production in order to influence and thereby democratize environmental and health-related sustainability challenges
This review has shown that the articulation of the need to democratize the governance of sustainability challenges through participatory knowledge production stems from a characterization of sustainability challenges as embedded within existing structures, multi-faceted, and large and urgent
Control over decision-making, stakeholder selection, depth of participation and type of knowledge produced are investigated, as well as the extent to which the project democratizes gamma radiation-related decision-making as a sustainability challenge
Summary
Since the 1960s, citizens have increasingly been engaging with knowledge production in order to influence and thereby democratize environmental and health-related sustainability challenges. Citizens have measured air quality to demand stricter regulation of traffic and industry in the city [1,2,3]; reformed clinical AIDS trials in line with interests and demands from AIDS patients [4]; or mapped radioactivity downfall after Fukushima to regain sovereignty over their own health [5]. Such experiments in participation initiated by civil society received substantial academic attention in a variety of fields including sustainability studies, political sciences, sociology, and science and technology studies (STS). Considering the claim that participation is a central element of such projects’ strategies to democratize the sustainability issue at hand, this research gap needs to be addressed
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