ABSTRACT
The need for scientists to effectively communicate and engage the public with science has never been clearer. However, ensuring communication and engagement are delivered equitably remains a challenge for practitioners.
This perspective review begins by revisiting some of the history of public engagement and science communication, to offer a contextual understanding of where we are today and how the relationship between science and society has changed over time. This initial overview illustrates that historic global inequalities are embedded in and continue to influence modern science, meaning that many communities remain excluded from the construction, communication and use of scientific knowledge.
The literature suggests that despite calls to democratise science and much theorising on how this might be achieved from those within science communication and public engagement, in practice their activities are often criticized for reinforcing patterns of exclusion found in wider society which particularly impact marginalized groups at risk of other forms of social exclusion.
However, as the world continues to turn its attention to issues of inequality, so has the scientific community, with many already attempting to break down barriers to accessing science and foster inclusive engagement. This review concludes by providing examples of how inclusive practice is being employed across a range of geographies and cultural contexts: sharing key learnings from each to suggest how we might better engage the excluded with science moving forward.
Short film