ABSTRACT
This chapter explores contemporary forms of citizen participation and engagement that give voices to those who, historically, have been excluded from debates on issues of concern to them. Because their lived experience and knowledge were undervalued, and because they did not meet recognized competency criteria, they were deprived of the right to speak. Instead, that right fell to those who could demand it, especially in fields of expertise in science and technology. A paradigm shift took place at the turn of the 1980s: the public started questioning science and scientists and was gradually integrated into the evaluation, development, and application processes of science. The underlying factors of the paradigm shift are discussed, as are the new modes of participation and engagement that have emerged and are still emerging.
