How to grasp cooperation in Citizen (Social) Science projects beyond invited and uninvited participation?

This webinar focuses on Citizen Social Science (CSS) - participatory research carried out in the fields of humanities and social sciences. To start with, it offers a glance at the landscape of CSS in Germany. I will present results from quantitative and qualitative studies in a recent research project on CSS activities initiated inside as well as outside academic institutions. Based on these findings, I will suggest a shift in attention to bring to sight additional actors and activities that are usually not, or only marginally, considered in discussions about C(S)S. This shall serve as ground to reflect on how to analyse patterns of participation and cooperation in CSS activities going beyond the concept of invited and uninvited participation. Finally, I’d like to discuss alternative heuristics that offer a more nuanced account on the functioning of CSS to guide further research as well as governance of CS, and public participation in research and technology more generally.

Claudia Göbel is a social scientist and practitioner in the field of open participatory research. Her background is in science and technology studies. She works on open organisations, research policy and equity in Citizen (Social) Sciences. Currently, she is based at the Institute for Higher Education Research (HoF) at the University Halle-Wittenberg.

The University of Gothenburg Webinars on Citizen Science
The webinar is part of a monthly series on new developments in the field of citizen science. Citizen science is here to be interpreted in the broadest sense, including different participatory research activities in the natural and social sciences and the humanities, as well as community based initiatives. We welcome presentations and discussion papers on the phenomenon of citizen science, including historical as well as STS-informed studies of current issues.