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UID:pretalx-citizen-science-communication-trust-2026-WEEKHB@ifkw.rz.tu-bs.d
 e
DTSTART;TZID=CET:20261006T114500
DTEND;TZID=CET:20261006T120000
DESCRIPTION:Trust in citizen science (hereafter\, participatory science) ha
 s often been examined from a science-centered perspective\, in which the p
 rimary objective is to encourage public confidence in scientific processes
  or in their outputs. As participatory science expands beyond WEIRD (Weste
 rn\, Educated\, Industrialized\, Rich\, and Democratic) publics\, we need 
 to reconsider how trust operates across encounters between diverse knowled
 ge systems\, where science is neither the only knowledge system\, nor are 
 its parameters the only definition of goals to be achieved. \nThis study o
 f a collaboration between farmers and scientists in Peru explores how trus
 t is negotiated at the intersection of Traditional Ecological Knowledge (T
 EK) and Western science. Here\, we consider two premises. First\, against 
 the paternalistic view of TEK systems as static and fragile\, we character
 ize them as dynamic and adaptive\, capable of resisting and transforming t
 hemselves and others\, through interactions with other knowledge systems. 
 Second\, by framing participatory science as a space for engagement betwee
 n academic institutions and local communities\, and by drawing on a concep
 t of engagement as relational learning\, we explore trust as a learning ou
 tcome of a participatory science project. This perspective encompasses par
 ticipants’ transformative journeys of understanding themselves in relati
 on to knowledge\, institutions\, and communities\, enabling the reclamatio
 n of epistemic agency\, the strengthening of belonging\, and the renegotia
 tion of the value of local knowledge vis-à-vis external authorities. Unde
 r these premises\, we reconceptualize trust in the “other” not merely 
 as openness or acceptance of other knowledge systems (in this case\, of TE
 K holders and Western science towards each other) but as the freedom to ma
 ke visible the dynamics and boundaries of one’s own knowledge system\, w
 hile at the same time maintaining the integrity of its distinctions.\nTo e
 xemplify these arguments\, we examine a case study: a collaboration in Per
 u between farmers in the Sacred Valley of the Incas (Cusco) and a transdis
 ciplinary group of scientists investigating the use of bat guano as a trad
 itional fertilizer in maize cultivation. Drawing on interviews\, participa
 tory workshops\, and ethnographic observations\, we analyze how trust deve
 lops through interactions across knowledge systems\, and how it takes dive
 rse epistemological forms.\nThis is an ongoing project. Here\, we present 
 initial findings from our thematic analysis of interviews conducted with s
 cientists and farmers prior to the start of the participatory science proj
 ect\, with further results expected in Summer 2026 following a second coll
 aborative workshop with farmers. Prior to the first workshop\, we identifi
 ed Limits of Knowledge Systems as Sites of Trust. Farmers expressed trust 
 in scientists\, particularly in areas where they perceive their own ways o
 f knowing do not extend. As one farmer noted when asked about their trust 
 in scientists: “Not really…. We already know what needs to be done. Of
  course\, we still do evaluations\, but if there’s an analysis (for exam
 ple\, soil analysis)\, then we have to rely on that analysis” (emphasis 
 added). TEK is primarily based on observation\; in areas such as soil chem
 ical composition\, where elements cannot be directly perceived\, farmers i
 dentify their own system limits as a space for trusting scientific experti
 se.\nWe also identified Intersections of Identity and Expertise in Visions
  of Trust. Knowledge systems are embedded in personal and collective ident
 ities\, shaping how other forms of expertise are evaluated and accepted. A
 s one farmer explained: “I\, as a farmer\, know … just by looking at t
 he plant … you already understand. It’s not just because someone is an
  engineer that I’m going to follow what they say. But the exchange is go
 od\, because there are many people like me who have demonstration crops”
  (emphasis added).\nFinally\, we observed Trust Built within Epistemologic
 al Conditions. This means that trust is grounded in each group’s own con
 ditions\, with knowledge translated and tested within their respective sys
 tems’ parameters while remaining open to exchange. A farmer stated about
  scientists: “I do listen to them\, but besides that\, I also run my own
  experiments…” (emphasis added). Similarly\, scientists expressed thei
 r intention to bring their own epistemic parameters\, such as homogeneity\
 , standardization\, and control\, as requirements for trusting farmers\, p
 arameters that are not prioritized in the farmers’ TEK systems.\nThese i
 nsights represent an initial snapshot of our results. We aim to present bo
 th these findings and their evolution for the conference\, highlighting ho
 w trust emerges when two independent knowledge systems engage in dialogue 
 and negotiation. By moving beyond WEIRD settings\, we explore a context wh
 ere trust takes forms beyond incorporation or assimilation\, opening possi
 bilities for more plural and negotiated understandings of knowledge exchan
 ge.
DTSTAMP:20260721T215041Z
LOCATION:Tagungsraum
SUMMARY:Trust\, Relational Learning\, and Boundary-Work in Citizen Science 
 Across Knowledge Systems - Amanda Vilchez\, Bruce Lewenstein
URL:https://ifkw.rz.tu-bs.de/citizen-science-communication-trust-2026/talk/
 WEEKHB/
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