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National Institute of Science Communication and Information Resources, CSIR, India
25 years of Science Communication In India
LessonsFrom Kumbh Mela Studies
Gauhar Raza & Surjit Singh
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In India the first efforts to communicate modern scientific ideas originating in the west were made during the latter half of the nineteenth century. A number of science books were translated from English into Indian languages
the beginnings…
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the pioneers …
• Small groups in the form of ‘science societies’ mushroomed in various parts of the country
• Such groups held regular discussions on mathematics and science subjects but their sphere of activities was confined to the upper ‘class’ and ‘caste’ intellectuals
• they did not make any serious efforts to transform themselves into a large scale ‘science movement’
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mass movements…
• Organised freedom movement, in India started taking shape in the last decade of 19th century
• The freedom movement was the most potent source and the carrier of modern ideas.
• The phrase ‘scientific temper’ was coined by a politician. It was Pt Jawahar Lal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India
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the realm of ideas…
Freedom movement while constructing Indian identity popularized a few specific notions. Most of these ideas did not originate in Indian culture
– World peace and nonviolence– Equality of human beings– Gender equality– Freedom of speech– Education for all– Jobs for all– Science and technology for nation building
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pioneer scientists..
• JC Bose, CV Raman, SN Bose, SS Bhatnagar, H Bhabha, Birbal Sahani----- argued that when we get independence we will require large scientific and technical manpower and infrastructure
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shaping of modern India ….
• Their personal close relations with political leadership helped the cause of science and science popularization
• After India achieved independence the ruling classes of the emerging capitalist society were convinced that a wider acceptance of modern scientific ideas is necessary for building an industrialized country
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discourses on S&T …..
• Phrases such as ‘scientific temper’ ‘broad scientific outlook’, ‘scientific belief system’ and ‘scientific method’ echoed repeatedly in various forums of debate including political speeches
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institution building…
• Education, agriculture extension centres and health system expanded
• CSIR, IARI, DRDO, Atomic Energy Commission were built
• Popular Science Books, Text books, journals (specialised as well as popular), print and electronic media was geared up to propagate science. Many Museums and Planetariums were built
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science communication ...
• But India is a large country with complex problems. It is a multicultural, multi-lingual society and is a stratified nation. The ruling classes did not have any reason to educate every citizen
• Official and private media catered to both the emerging scientific consciousness and the existing reactionary retrograde thought structures
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science communication ...
• It is in this context that a few members of the Communist Party of India and some social reformers who were ‘left of the centre’ realised the importance of communicating science to the people in their own mother tongue
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communicating for class consciousness...
• They recognised that communicating science to the masses could serve two important objectives. One that, it could enhance the class consciousness of the people and two that it would help the 'left', to reach newer sections of society, specially the younger generations
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cultural modes for communication...
• Through experience the leadership of the movement had understood that some scientific ideas propagate faster through the cultural medium
• Therefore Street plays and songs became an integral part of Peoples’ Science Movement
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deconstructing PSM ...• By 1983 some among the leadership of PSM
started asking simple questions
– What science should be communicated and why?– Why some of the scientific ideas propagate faster
than others?– Why some of the ideas can be communicated easily
through songs, drama and films?– Is people’s structure of thinking a clean slate on which
any thing can be written by scientists or communicators of science?
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question of progress..
• These questions were not articulated as clearly as I have put them in the previous slide, but these issues did bother us in some form or the other
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the ‘deficit model’....
• The second half of the 1980s was the period when Jon Miller and many other colleagues were trying to probe the level of scientific literacy, in the western countries
• By mid 1990s Miller et al. developed categories of Scientific Literacy (civic, cultural, etc.)
• This lead to categorisation of citizens in Scientifically literate and Scientifically illiterate
• And finally the trajectory crystallised into what is known as ‘Deficit Model’
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development of indigenous models...
• In India, I was asking a different set of questions.• In order to measure PAUS, can we use the same
questionnaire that have been developed in the west?• Who should we focus on, those who give scientifically
correct answers or those who give wrong answers?• Instead of categorising respondents can we develop
categories of responses?• Given the same demographic parameters of
respondents why do some questions elicit higher percentages of correct response while others don’t. What are the causes of percentage variation across various questions?
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Can we use the same questionnaire?
• Answer to the first question was No• Indicators developed in one cultural setting
may not be of use in other socio-cultural milieu
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Who should we focus on?
• The second question also led to a clear answer: surely, one can probe why certain sections of society achieve a higher level of absorption of scientific ideas but one must deeply investigate those who have not given correct answers
• This would help us to devise strategies to communicate science to those section who have given scientifically wrong answers
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Can we develop categories of responses?
• The third question led to four categories of responses
• Scientifically Correct• Scientific but Incorrect• Extra Scientific• Don’t Know
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Why certain questions elicit larger percentage of correct answers?
• The fourth question led us to an understanding that there are a few parameters, besides demographic factors (such as age, gender, education, exposure to media, etc), which determine the intensity of propagation of scientific ideas
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parametrics of cultural distance...
• Intrinsic factors
– Complexity: involved in explaining a phenomenon– Control : Collective or individual– Intensity :of intervention in quotidian life of a
citizens– Lifecycle: of a phenomenon
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Cultural Model of Analysis…
ScientificKnowledge
System
People’sCultural cognitive Structure
Demographic determinants
Intrinsic factors
Cultural distance
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relative cultural distance model..
• The next natural question was: Can we determine this cultural distance empirically
• In response to this question a method to measure ‘Relative Cultural Distance’ was developed
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relative cultural distance model..
The ‘Relative Cultural Distance’ can be defined as the distance travelled by a scientific idea, information or law on time scale to become an integral part of worldview of a common citizen
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In 1989 we the research team goes to Kumbh Mela, held at
Allahabad, to administer a survey and collects data for the
first time
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Idi= index of democratisation of an ideaXi= cultural distance of a phenomena from quotidian life of people
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Average Cultural Distance has reduced over the years…
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Province 1
Kerala
Shape of
earth
-0.5
Rotation of
earth
3.0
Revolution of earth
6.2 Formation of galaxy
6.6Evolution
of mankind7.4
First QuadrantCultural distance
Fourth QuadrantCultural distance
Cultural distance of various Scientific concepts from province of Kerala
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Shape of earth
Kerala-0.5
Haryana0.5
Bihar
2.4
Maharashtra2.8
Assam1.8
First QuadrantCultural distance
Fourth QuadrantCultural distance
Rajasthan
Delhi
-2.0
0.0
Andhra Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
-0.9
West Bengal1.2
-0.5
Cultural distance of various provinces from Rotundity of Earth
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Comparative Shift in Cultural Distance
ΔΧci = ∑Χcit2 ─ ∑Χcit1
Where,
• ΔΧci: denotes the shift in cultural distance
• t2: is the latest point of observation on time scale
• t1: is the earliest point of observation on time scale
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Efficacy of Channels of Information Vrs Cultural Distance
Cultural Distance of Natural Phenomena
Q8 Q7 Q6 Q5 Q4 Q3 Q2 Q1
Effic
acy
(Δ
= ac
cess
to c
hann
els
- no
acc
ess)
50
40
30
20
10
0
High Efficacy
Low Efficacy
Window of opportunity
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Newspaper
Television
Radio
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The Most ImportantLesson
From Kumbh Mela Studies
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To Create A
National Centre Which will conduct research
on all aspects of
Scientific temper and Public Understanding of Science
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National Council For Science Technology Communication, DST,
And National Institute of Science
Communication and Information Resources,
have taken a decision to launch this centre
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Objectives
Carry out surveys, create and maintain data bases
Carry out international, national and regional comparative studies
Define and monitor scientific temper / rationality in everyday life
Construct of indicators of ‘scientific culture’
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Structure of the Centre
NCSTIn-charge
Cross Country PAUS research
Developing countries
National PAUS Research
Regional and Micro Studies
Developed countries
Indicators, statistical and database
laboratory
National media monitoring and
intervention laboratory
Macro level Studies
Indicators Monitoring Cell
Database Services CellStatistical Tools Development Cell
Electronic media Monitoring Cell
Interpersonal media/ NGOs Monitoring
Cell
Print media Monitoring Cell
Science Education Monitoring Cell
Studies on Values, Norms and Attitudes
Central Audio Video Facilities
PUS information Dissemination Cell
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Thanks