Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book offers an overview of the science museum landscape and points to new directions being pursued by these institutions. It discusses how science museums that are willing to become critical and agential sites can engage, and have engaged, with controversy. The book deals with an examination of how science museums, as contested sites, communicate controversy – and with the challenges that emerge in this process. It focuses on a permanent exhibition located at the Ontario Science Centre in Toronto, Canada. In contrast to unequivocal statements and/or representations of science, the exhibition A Question of Truth views science as a human and social activity located in culture, politics, and predominant worldviews. The book explores the North American premiere of the Finnish exhibition Heureka Goes Crazy, hosted at the Science Museum of Minnesota.