Mapping controversies (MC) is an academic course taught in
science studies
Science studies is an interdisciplinary research area that seeks to situate scientific expertise in broad social, historical, and philosophical contexts. It uses various methods to analyze the production, representation and reception of scient ...
, stemming from the writings of the French sociologist and philosopher
Bruno Latour
Bruno Latour (; 22 June 1947 – 9 October 2022) was a French philosopher, anthropologist and sociologist.Wheeler, Will. ''Bruno Latour: Documenting Human and Nonhuman Associations'' Critical Theory for Library and Information Science. Libraries ...
. MC focuses exclusively on the
controversies surrounding scientific knowledge rather than the established scientific facts or outcomes. Thus, it helps sociologists, anthropologists and other social scientists get insights not into scientific knowledge ''per se'', but rather into ''the process of gaining knowledge''. Thus, MC sheds light on those intermediate stages corresponding to the actual research process and pinpoints the connections between scientific work and other types of activities.
History
The term "mapping controversies" was first suggested in relation to analysis of scientific and technological controversies, and then lately re-affirmed as a widely applicable methodological approach going beyond the boundaries of Science Studies. It is usually used for the methodology that identifies and tracks down the polemics or debate surrounding a scientific fact, and utilises various visualisation tools to present the problem in its complexity.
From January 2008 until December 2009, Latour coordinated the project "Mapping Controversies on Science for Politics (MACOSPOL)". The showcase website is mappingcontroversies.net
In 2008-2009 several universities in Europe and USA started teaching "Mapping Controversies" courses for students in political sciences, engineering, and architecture.
An earlier attempt to stage controversies in museum settings took place at th
Gallery of Researchin Vienna in 2005.
[Yaneva, A., Rabesandratana, T., Greiner, B. Staging Scientific Controversies: a Gallery Test on Science Museums’ Interactivity, Public Understanding of Science 2009, 18(1)]
79-90
References
{{Science and technology studies, state=collapsed
Science and technology studies
Bruno Latour
Sociological terminology