Nations at Ease with Radical Knowledge

In response to the recent troubled history of risk-related technological development in Europe, one institutional reaction has been to advocate public deliberation as a means of achieving broad societal consensus over socio-scientific futures. We focus on 'consensusing' and the expectation...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Social studies of science 2010-02, Vol.40 (1), p.105-126
Main Authors: Horst, Maja, Irwin, Alan
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Consensus
Denmark
Europe
Identity
Knowledge
Technological Change
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Summary:In response to the recent troubled history of risk-related technological development in Europe, one institutional reaction has been to advocate public deliberation as a means of achieving broad societal consensus over socio-scientific futures. We focus on 'consensusing' and the expectation of consensus, and consider both their roots and their performative consequences. We argue that consensus should be seen not simply as the absence of disagreement, but as a particular political and ideological formation. We consider and explore the Danish model based on the folkelig concept of the common good, before turning to the wider European movement towards consensus-building. As presented here, consensusing becomes a focus for political contestation but also for nation- and institution-building. Rather than evaluating deliberation solely in terms of its short-term instrumental effects, consensusing should also be understood as performative of national and international identity. [Reprinted by permission of Sage Publications Ltd., copyright holder.]
ISSN:0306-3127
DOI:10.1177/0306312709341500