Inclusive Dialog With Local Communities: Practices Among Professionals and the Battle for Equity and Public Engagement in Science Museums and Science Centers

Abstract

This study aimed to understand the actions carried out for dialog between science centers and science museums with the public of local communities living in a situation of socioeconomic vulnerability. The study adopted a quantitative and qualitative approach and the theoretical framework of science communication, of the exercise of citizenship and of engagement with science, using concepts such as Technoscientific Citizenship, Social Appropriation of Science and Technology, and Science Capital. Also, a few previous visitor studies on the same purpose of inclusion and social equity were considered. The methodology involved the participation of professionals who work in Brazilian institutions, in two stages of data collection, both carried out online. Initially, a questionnaire was answered by 69 professionals, of whom nine took part in in-depth interviews. The qualitative data was analyzed using the Discourse of the Collective Subject (DCS) method, from which the results have been presented in three Categories and twelve Synthesis-Speeches. The establishment of a dialog with a broader public involves taking on a long-term institutional commitment, developing broad access mechanisms with respect to cultural differences. It is fundamental to make constant and careful efforts to welcome a diverse public and meet the challenge of breaking down prejudices. The implementation of the social role of science centers and science museums not only democratize knowledge but promotes a freedom feeling and the raise of self-esteem of those who engage in its activities. The results corroborated previous studies, stating that to build a legacy and to foster significant changes in the profile of the audience, the social exclusion needs to be treated as a structural, complex, and multifaceted issue.