CfP: Science and Participation in the Anglophone World - University of Lille, 18–19 June 2026

Participation has become a key term in discussions about science, whether to emphasise the

opening up of knowledge to society, the enrolment of citizens in technological choices, or the

promotion of co-construction of knowledge. The contemporary context – from the COVID-19

pandemic to the climate emergency, including the resurgence of discourses of mistrust toward

science – makes this issue particularly crucial. Yet it is by no means a new one. This conference

seeks to challenge the overly simplistic idea of a linear progression toward ever greater

inclusion and participation.

From Science and Technology Studies (STS) to postcolonial studies, the tensions between

science and politics, as well as between different types of knowledge, are central to both

historical and contemporary research on the relationships between science and society. Whether

one studies the enrolment of science by political authorities or that of the public (for validation

or contribution), the question of participation raises fundamental issues about the role of science

in modern societies, about the links between science and democracy, and about the power

dynamics inherent in the production, circulation, and implementation of knowledge and

technologies.

This is not, therefore, a matter of positing a binary opposition between two separate categories

– i.e. Science and Society – but rather of unfolding these categories to examine how authority

is distributed among different disciplines and forms of knowledge.

Participation takes very diverse forms – from the simple dissemination of knowledge, through

collective or “amateur” practices, to citizen science. The conference aims to explore the various

meanings and manifestations of this notion in specific contexts. It also seeks to examine the

power struggles, contestations, and negotiations that unfold within the very idea of

participation.

To what extent is the dissemination of knowledge associated with the desire to enrol lay actors

in technical or scientific projects (eg. farmers, patients, residents)? More generally, what are

the modalities of engagement, recruitment, and assembly of actors within institutionalised

scientific projects, circles, or networks? Who contributes, how, and under what conditions?

What forms do different participatory mechanisms (eg. surveys, exhibitions, consultations, etc.)

take, and does the notion of participation carry the same meaning across these contexts?

What types of knowledge are considered relevant? Who is included or excluded from the sphere

of legitimate participants (eg. amateurs, women, Indigenous communities, among others)? Is

lay participation a means of contributing to the co-construction of knowledge or of enhancing

its acceptability? This conference will explore questions of legitimacy, credibility, and

acceptability of various actors and their different forms of expertise, as well as, conversely, the

dynamics of exclusion, resistance, or intrusion (or even the sudden irruption of agents).

Which contributions to knowledge have been recognised, and which have been rendered

invisible? These questions directly engage the democratic stakes of participation, and more

specifically, the participation of alternative forms of knowledge production – in the tradition of

“popular science” or citizen and subaltern sciences – that, through non-elitist, sometimes openly

critical and reformist approaches, have helped (de)construct or amend knowledge “beyond the

walls of the temple.”

These issues also open onto the question of the participation of science itself in political

processes, and of how scientific authority is negotiated in its interactions with politics. How

have different types of knowledge sought to be included in, and to contribute to, decision-

making?

Possible themes include:

• The various forms of knowledge dissemination, their objectives, and the obstacles

encountered

• The contribution of non-experts to science

• Power struggles surrounding participation in the construction and dissemination of new

knowledge

• Non-participation, whether deliberate or imposed

• Collective forms of knowledge co-construction involving diverse actors

• The participation of science in political processes

This conference aims to examine the place and role of science and knowledge within

the Anglophone world (The United Kingdom, North America, the British

Empire/Commonwealth) through the lens of this central issue. By exploring modalities of

inclusion, exclusion, enrolment, irruption, or circumvention of various actors in their

interactions with science, we seek to analyse forms of participation – real, anticipated,

unexpected, or prevented – that have shaped science as a social, cultural, and political practice,

from both national and transnational perspectives, and building on historical or contemporary

case studies.

Submission Guidelines

Proposals should include an abstract of 300-400 words, accompanied by a title and up to five

keywords, and should be sent by 15 January 2026.

Each proposal must indicate the author’s name, institutional affiliation, and contact

details (email address and, if applicable, research laboratory).

Abstracts should be sent to the co-organisers.

 

Timeline

• Abstract submission deadline: 15 January 2026

• Notification of acceptance: 30 January 2026

• Conference dates: 18–19 June 2026

 

Languages

Presentations may be delivered in English or French.

 

Publication

A selection of papers will be considered for publication in a peer-reviewed edited volume or

special journal issue following the conference.

Organization and Contact

Conference co-organized by Lucie de Carvalho (Université de Lille), Arnaud Page (Sorbonne

Université), and Marie Ruiz (Université de Picardie Jules Verne), and hosted by

the Université de Lille.