Science by, with and for citizens: rethinking ‘citizen science’ after the 2011 Fukushima disaster

This study illustrates how citizen-driven radiation monitoring has emerged in post-Fukushima Japan, where citizens generate their own radiation data and measurement devices to provide public with actionable data about their environments. Drawing on eth- nographic fieldwork in and around Fukushima Pr...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Palgrave Communications 2020
Main Authors: Kenens, Joke, Van Oudheusden, Michiel, Yoshizawa, Go, Van Hoyweghen, Ine
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Citizen sciences
Environments
Fukushima disasters
Japan
Radiation monitoring
Online Access:Request full text
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Summary:This study illustrates how citizen-driven radiation monitoring has emerged in post-Fukushima Japan, where citizens generate their own radiation data and measurement devices to provide public with actionable data about their environments. Drawing on eth- nographic fieldwork in and around Fukushima Prefecture, it highlights the multifaceted character of these bottom-up, citizen-led efforts, contrasting these initiatives with the emergence of “citizen participatory” science policy discourses in Japan. Recognizing the contested nature of citizenship in Japan and in the nuclear arena, the article considers how terms and definitions shape the participation of citizens and other stakeholders (local communities, public authorities, regulators, and professional scientists) in science and technology in culturally and historically specific ways. It builds on these observations to open up new spaces of expertise, which engage all stakeholders through social-scientific intervention.