Science, Public Engagement with

‘Public engagement with science’ evokes a series of long-standing issues concerning the relationship between members of the public (or citizens) and matters of technical expertise. However, each of the terms ‘public,’ ‘engagement,’ and ‘science’ is open to question, and to empirical investigation regarding their definition in institutional practice. Science and technology studies scholars have been especially active in challenging prevailing policy assumptions in this area and in considering how science–public relations might be reinterpreted and reconstructed. This article presents some of the key social scientific contributions to this developing area of discussion and practice.