{"id":693,"date":"2025-10-04T11:47:03","date_gmt":"2025-10-04T10:47:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/global-science-and-epistemic-justice\/?p=693"},"modified":"2025-10-04T11:52:30","modified_gmt":"2025-10-04T10:52:30","slug":"gsej-launches-a-new-odyssey-for-public-engagement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/global-science-and-epistemic-justice\/2025\/10\/04\/gsej-launches-a-new-odyssey-for-public-engagement\/","title":{"rendered":"GSEJ Launches a New Odyssey for Public Engagement"},"content":{"rendered":"<p data-start=\"240\" data-end=\"281\">On 29\u201330 September 2025, the Centre for Global Science and Epistemic Justice (GSEJ) hosted <em data-start=\"524\" data-end=\"561\">A New Odyssey for Public Engagement<\/em> at the British Academy. This invitation-only event brought together leading thinkers, science diplomacy experts, and scientists from four continents to explore how the<a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.5281\/zenodo.15162874\"> <strong data-start=\"730\" data-end=\"745\">O.D.E.SS.I.<\/strong> <\/a>framework\u2014<strong data-start=\"756\" data-end=\"824\">Open, Deliberative, Enabling, Sensible and Sensitive, Innovative<\/strong>\u2014can guide global practices of public dialogue on science.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"909\" data-end=\"1393\">Developed through years of international collaboration, <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.5281\/zenodo.15162874\">O.D.E.SS.I.<\/a> has been shaped by ongoing dialogue with pioneers who have expanded the boundaries of public engagement and science diplomacy. The framework\u2019s five pillars are intentionally interwoven, each informing and conditioning the others. While participants were well positioned to speak across the full spectrum of engagement, the two-day programme was structured around four thematic blocks to enable focused exploration:<\/p>\n<ul data-start=\"1395\" data-end=\"1581\">\n<li data-start=\"1395\" data-end=\"1439\">\n<p data-start=\"1397\" data-end=\"1439\"><strong data-start=\"1397\" data-end=\"1417\">Day 1 (Morning)-<\/strong>\u00a0<strong>Open. Deliberative<\/strong>: What do \u201copenness\u201d and \u201cdeliberation\u201d mean in different cultural and scientific contexts? How might these pillars shape science\u2013society relations in the decades ahead?<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"1440\" data-end=\"1490\">\n<p data-start=\"1442\" data-end=\"1490\"><strong data-start=\"1442\" data-end=\"1464\">Day 1 (Afternoon) &#8211;<\/strong>\u00a0<strong>Deliberative. Enabling<\/strong>: How can deliberative processes become actionable without losing inclusivity? What does genuine enablement look like across institutions and communities with divergent priorities?<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"1491\" data-end=\"1539\">\n<p data-start=\"1493\" data-end=\"1539\"><strong data-start=\"1493\" data-end=\"1513\">Day 2 (Morning)<\/strong> &#8211; <strong>Sensible and Sensitive<\/strong>: How can consensus and compromise become creative tools for transnational science governance? Participants considered how diplomatic engagement and bridge-building might help societies make collective sense of uncertainty, disagreement, and hope.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"1540\" data-end=\"1581\">\n<p data-start=\"1542\" data-end=\"1581\"><strong data-start=\"1542\" data-end=\"1564\">Day 2 (Afternoon)<\/strong> &#8211; <strong>The \u2018I\u2019 in We<\/strong>: What shared framework for recognition and communication is needed to build responsible and just science? How might public engagement foster epistemic justice and diplomatic capacity in science across global communities?<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p data-start=\"1583\" data-end=\"2091\">Notably, <em data-start=\"1592\" data-end=\"1604\">Innovation<\/em> did not appear as a standalone theme\u2014reflecting the assumption that innovation permeates every discussion. The final session, <em data-start=\"1731\" data-end=\"1746\">The \u2018I\u2019 in We<\/em>, drew inspiration from Axel Honneth\u2019s work on recognition and ethical life. It invited participants to reflect on how interactions with the world shape our sense of collective belonging and how public engagement might cultivate a shared grammar of communication and mutual recognition\u2014cornerstones of social freedom in science and its uptake.<\/p>\n<h4 data-start=\"3060\" data-end=\"3097\">Highlights and Acknowledgements<\/h4>\n<p data-start=\"3099\" data-end=\"3473\">Keynote speakers <strong data-start=\"3116\" data-end=\"3135\">Mr. Shaofeng Hu<\/strong> (UNESCO) and <strong data-start=\"3149\" data-end=\"3179\">Professor Fran\u00e7oise Baylis<\/strong> (Dalhousie University \/ President-Elect, Royal Society of Canada) set the tone for the event, offering profound insights into how the O.D.E.SS.I. framework could advance both public engagement and science diplomacy during the UN\u2019s International Decade of Science for Sustainable Development.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"3475\" data-end=\"3983\">Their contributions were complemented by an outstanding roster of speakers and discussants, including <strong data-start=\"3577\" data-end=\"3813\">Tracey Brown, Robin Lovell-Badge, Ian Wiggins, Natalia Pasternak, Bankole Falade, Martin W. Bauer, Trupti Patel, Annette Boaz, Jan Marco M\u00fcller, Amit Kumar, Emma Cook, Rebecca Asher, Alice Howarth, Michael Marshall, Annette Markham,<\/strong> and <strong data-start=\"3818\" data-end=\"3834\">David Ludwig<\/strong>. Their transdisciplinary and transcultural insights enriched the discussions and helped to situate O.D.E.SS.I. within a truly global conversation.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"3985\" data-end=\"4216\">GSEJ also extends heartfelt thanks to <strong data-start=\"4023\" data-end=\"4135\">Sophie Gilbert, Katie Dow, Lynn Frewer, Julian Little, Emily Jesper-Mir, Trude Diesen Sundberg, Nita Pillai,<\/strong> and <strong data-start=\"4140\" data-end=\"4160\">Philippa Michael<\/strong> for their thoughtful comments and logistical support.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"4218\" data-end=\"4438\">Finally, special recognition goes to the <strong data-start=\"4259\" data-end=\"4349\">GSEJ team\u2014Oliver Pritchard-Moore, Ceylan Hassan, Matthew McKenna, and Camille Serisier<\/strong>\u2014whose dedication ensured both the smooth delivery and intellectual depth of the event.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"4218\" data-end=\"4438\">See <a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/global-science-and-epistemic-justice\/files\/2025\/10\/Final-ODESSI-Sept-London-programme.pdf\">Final-ODESSI-Sept-London-programme<\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/global-science-and-epistemic-justice\/files\/2025\/10\/ODESSI-Attendee-Profiles.pdf\">ODESSI &#8211; Attendee Profiles<\/a><\/p>\n<h4 data-start=\"4440\" data-end=\"4459\">Looking Ahead<\/h4>\n<p data-start=\"4461\" data-end=\"4748\">The conference underscored the importance of <strong data-start=\"4506\" data-end=\"4544\">curiosity-driven public engagement<\/strong> as a foundation for the social architecture of science\u2014an approach that enables long-term dialogue, epistemic socialisation, and inclusive participation in shaping the future of science and innovation.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"4750\" data-end=\"4803\">A full conference report will be published shortly.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"4750\" data-end=\"4803\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-698\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/global-science-and-epistemic-justice\/files\/2025\/10\/f69b9ec7-5691-42f6-806b-895be4418230-3.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1186\" \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On 29\u201330 September 2025, the Centre for Global Science and Epistemic Justice (GSEJ) hosted A New Odyssey for Public Engagement at the British Academy. This &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/global-science-and-epistemic-justice\/2025\/10\/04\/gsej-launches-a-new-odyssey-for-public-engagement\/\">Read&nbsp;more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":78017,"featured_media":696,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/global-science-and-epistemic-justice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/693"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/global-science-and-epistemic-justice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/global-science-and-epistemic-justice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/global-science-and-epistemic-justice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/78017"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/global-science-and-epistemic-justice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=693"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/global-science-and-epistemic-justice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/693\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":699,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/global-science-and-epistemic-justice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/693\/revisions\/699"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/global-science-and-epistemic-justice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/696"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/global-science-and-epistemic-justice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=693"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/global-science-and-epistemic-justice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=693"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/global-science-and-epistemic-justice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=693"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}