Dynamics of Food Knowledge Circulation between Science and Society through Citizen Associations

PhD :

Olga BYCHKOVA MÉLIQUE

Preview :

Changing the way food is consumed towards healthier and more sustainable practices implies, for citizens, an evolution of their knowledge about food. As producers of reliable knowledge, researchers are at the heart of this issue. However, their discourse is nowadays mixed with a large number of other discourses from very different actors. This raises the question of the place of scientific discourse in the dissemination of knowledge on food, from the point of view of both researchers and citizens. Among the very diverse spaces of diffusion (media, internet, books, magazines...), some associations work to inform and raise awareness of the public, trying to make acceptable and 'engaging' a key environmental message and to develop a power of action based on the knowledge brought or valued. These associations are confronted with scientific knowledge in two ways. Firstly, they must themselves constitute their sources, among the multitude of circulating discourses. Secondly, they are sometimes directly involved in research projects, in an increasingly valued logic of science with and for society. The objective of this doctoral work is to decipher the dynamics of the circulation of food knowledge by grasping the logics of mediation and the modalities of appropriation of knowledge among the publics involved. This study will contribute to the global reflection on the interactions between science and society developed by different actors. It will allow us to identify the strategies that are applied in the context of a renewed landscape in France that encourages the integration of participatory approaches and scientific mediation in the activities of researchers.

Supervisor :

Maxime Michaud - Susan Kovacs

Graduate School :

Université Lumière Lyon 2 - Laboratoire ELICO

Partners :

 France Relance