The Shape of Public Engagement - Participatory Mapping: New Data, New Cartography - page 129

the contrary, the concerned public takes part in different
levels of the scientific work.

This opposition is reinforced by the concept of street
science [COR 05]. Civic engagement is in this case at a
crossroad between scientific practices and political action. It
aims to bring together local knowledge and science, while
going beyond the “top-down” scientific approach, and results
in separating experts from amateurs. However, Michel
Callon warns against a hasty separation between “expert
science” and “citizen science”, as cooperation between the
two is necessary [CAL 06, p.136]. Moreover, citizen
engagement is not limited to taking part in scientific
practices. The history of academic engagement in social
debates [BON 06] - and more especially in nuclear issues -
highlights an increase in collective and citizen engagement
parallel to that of academics. Moreover, it shows the
heterogeneity in the ways they engage as well as
the expansion of scientific mediation. [BON 06] has shown
the heterogeneity of the public taking part in debates on the
consequences of science in society. As he puts it, after 1981:

We increasingly see civil society organizations
which are more educated, more critical of the
progress mantra (patients' associations, solidarity
groups, environmentalists, alter-globalization
movements, etc.) rather than groups of academics
who spark political debates about science and
technology issues, and who polarize the - slightly
smaller

2

- space for academic engagement.

[ BON 06: 237 ]

2 “Ce sont désormais plus souvent des organisations d'une société civile
plus éduquée et plus distante du credo du progrès (associations de
malades, de solidarité, écologistes, alter-mondialistes, etc.) que des
collectifs de chercheurs qui mettent en politique les enjeux des sciences et
des techniques et polarisent l'espace - quelque peu rétréci - de

l'engagement des chercheurs.”