Science communication is not an end in itself: (dis)assembling the science festival

Abstract

ABSTRACTMuch science communication research focuses on how science is represented and how science communication products are consumed. This article instead explores the production of a set of science communication projects, arguing that actor-network theory (ANT) can be one possible tool for such research. The research focuses on a large science festival, 'Science in the City', which took place in Copenhagen in 2014. Four projects within the festival are analytically disassembled: by following their production, different actants involved in the projects are identified and attention given to the wider networks they are part of. A key finding is the diversity of actor-networks stabilised through the four science communication projects. These projects were framed as being not just ‘about’ effective communication of science, but as having other aims, including diverse personal, professional, or political endeavours. A key implication for scholarship is that, for those involved in the production of public communication, science communication is not an end in itself. The value of using ANT approaches for science communication research is also discussed.