Voices in Science Writing

This section is comprised of readings that address the question: Whose voices are communicated and amplified in the sciences?

As you read, think about whose voices and whose knowledge you have been taught or have chosen to read or listen to. Consider also whose voice and knowledge may be absent from the science communities or conversations you participate in.

The first two readings, “Indigenous Science: Proven, Practical and Timeless” and “A Window into the Indigenous Science of Some Indigenous Peoples of Northwestern North America” are chapters from a book titled Knowing Home: Braiding Indigenous Science with Western Science, which highlights the need to incorporate Indigenous Knowledge into science education.

In “Weaving Indigenous and Sustainability Sciences to Diversify Our Methods”  the authors address the need to bridge Indigenous and Western Science systems, especially in sustainability science, and they offer some methods for starting that process.

“Traditional Knowledge in a Time of Crisis: Climate Change, Culture and Communication,” by R.D.K. Herman, is part history of Western culture, part summary of Western vs. Indigenous science, and part narrative of the Polynesian canoe as a model of indigeneity.

In “The  Disturbing Resilience of Scientific Racism,” Ramin Skibba summarizes the history of scientific racism as discussed in Angela Saini’s book Superior: The Return of Race Science.

“Overcoming Gender Bias in STEM” takes a broad look at the persistence of gender discrimination in STEM fields, despite efforts to close the gender gap.