Social factors and cultural processes that influence the acceptance of rejected scientific knowledge (CSR)


  • Years: from 2018 to 2021
  • Scientific Coordinator: Federico Neresini
  • Contact Person: Barbara Morsello (barbara.morsello@unipd.it)
  • Founded by Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research (Miur), call for Research projects of national relevance (PRIN 2017)
  • Partnership: Politecnico di Milano, Università del Sacro Cuore di Milano, Università Federico II di Napoli
punto interrogativo | Padova Science Technology and Innovation Studies The University of Padua coordinates a three-year project, 2018–2021 (PRIN - Project of National Relevance) entitled Factors and Social Processes that Influence the Acceptance of Rejected Scientific Knowledge.

Abstract

The University of Padua coordinates a three-year project, 2018–2021 (PRIN – Project of National Relevance) entitled Factors and Social Processes that Influence the Acceptance of Rejected Scientific Knowledge.

Rejected scientific knowledge refers to knowledge that has not found a place within the panorama of institutionalised knowledge and therefore represents contested ground between entities and actors, or groups and individuals, who create communities of practice that transcend the boundaries of scientific knowledge and create alternative forms of knowledge.

The main objectives of the project are to:

(1) identify the frames and communication formats through which rejected scientific knowledge circulates and the processes of its legitimisation within specific communities of actors and

(2) highlight the social dynamics that lead to the acceptance or rejection of scientific knowledge by expert and non-expert actors.

To achieve these objectives, a mixed-methods approach is used to investigate four cases concerning the emergence of rejected scientific knowledge in different contexts. Specifically, the team at the University of Padua focuses on the controversies that have emerged regarding the choice of vaccination in Italy, identified as a relevant case study for understanding the affirmation process for rejected scientific knowledge.

Specifically, the team of the University of Padua is focused on the controversies that emerged regarding the choice of vaccination in Italy, identified as a relevant case study for understanding the CSR affirmation processes.

Research Area: Health, Medicine and Technology