Engaging with the public in public engagement with research

Abstract

Though there is now growing commitment to publicly engaged research, the role and definition of the public in such processes is wide-ranging, contested and often rather vague. This article addresses this problem by showing that, although there is no single agreed upon theory or way of being public, it is still possible and very important to develop clear, public-centric, understandings of engaged research practice. The article introduces a multidimensional framework based on the theoretical literature on the 'public', and demonstrates -in the context of a recent engaged research project -how it is possible to conceptualize, design and evaluate context-specific formations of the public. Starting from an understanding of publics as mediated and dynamic entities, the article seeks to illuminate some of the choices that researchers face and how the framework can help them navigate these. This article is for all those interested in what it means to address, support and account for an engaged public in contemporary settings.

Developing Reflexive identities through collaborative, interdisciplinary and precarious work: the experience of early career researchers

“…This paper explores the experiences of 24 Early Career Researchers negotiating the changing dynamics of the contemporary university: namely 1) the changing external collaborative relationships between universities and their publics (Mahony 2015(Mahony , 2013Mahony and Clarke 2013;Jongbloed et al 2008;Strier 2014); 2) the changing internal relationships between disciplines and fields (Strathern 2004;Barry and Born 2013); and 3) the changing employment relationships between universities as institutions and the academics who work in them (Nadolny and Ryan 2013;Dowling 2008;Martin 2011). …”

Empowering civil society through educating about responsible research and innovation

“…As Nick Mahony and Hilde C. Stephansen highlighted, this growing body of literature on public engagement with socio-cultural research is currently missing an analysis that encompasses developments in public engagement and participation beyond academia based on contemporary practice. As is well-documented, recent years have been characterized by a 'participatory turn' in a number of domains, including higher education, science and technology, environment, urban regeneration, arts and policy making [6].…”

Developing a methodology for public engagement with critical research

“…This sounds very pessimistic for critical researchers attempting to work at the policy/ research interface, yet the distinction between the neoliberal state and the public sphere offers us room for manoeuvre and some optimism on two fronts that we explore in the next section of this article. First, critical researchers can exploit and draw upon the elasticity and multiplicity in contemporary conceptualisations of the public sphere (Fraser, 1990;Mahony & Stephansen, 2017). Pluralism in the public sphere arises from recognition that the foundational elements of democracy, such as deliberation, opinion-formation and decision-making, have not been evenly distributed throughout populations.…”

“…This analysis builds upon our contention that a more refined understanding of 'public' can help clarify what critical research can and cannot achieve through public engagement. After describing the project and its outcomes, we draw upon Mahony & Stephansen's (2017) analytical framework that differentiates the conceptual bases of different forms of 'public' in public engagement.…”

“…Writing on the meanings of 'public' in public engagement with research, Mahony & Stephansen (2017) present a framework that clarifies for researchers three distinct ways of conceptualising 'the public' that they regard are "differently useful" (p.40). They claim that most commonly the public referred to in public engagement is conceptualised as a bounded entity that exists independently of its engagement with the research.…”