On and about the deficit model in an age of free flow

Abstract

This chapter shows that the notion of the 'deficit model' of science communication, which emerged in the post-war context, manifests a certain configuration of the science-society relationship, as well as a particular modality of scientific knowledge production - one that was primarily characterized by fundamental research. Its function is mainly ideological, as much justifying the type of knowledge highlighted as being an intermediary between science and the public sought by the media. The relegation of the deficit model, beginning in the 1980s, corresponds to a transformation of knowledge production, which was henceforth subject to the relentless pursuit of innovation. Adapting to this new role of science entails a resocialization of the actors. This happens through new and emerging patterns that can be adopted and which give the actors a socially valued way to engage in science-society interactions. © 2008 Springer Netherlands.