Colonising public engagement: Revealing the “expert–lay” divisions formed by academia's dominant praxis

Abstract

Public engagement is an important feature of research into societal issues and challenges. Complex issues such as responses to climate change, environmental degradation, and fuel and food poverty require a closer link between academic research and publics if action relating to these challenges is to be harnessed collectively. The past two decades have seen an increase in efforts to form closer links between publics and academics. However, much of the activities associated with forming such links remain embedded within motivations defined by academics. Not only are these motivations defined by academics, but their success is often aligned with outcomes formed by the perspectives and targets of academics. Thus, “expert–lay” divisions are placed at the centre of the processes which initiate, facilitate, and report on public engagement. This paper engages with recent developments in public engagement to reveal the “expert–lay” divisions that allow academia to colonise the spaces and processes of public engagement. Using contemporary definitions of colonisation, this commentary demonstrates how academia forms a dominant praxis around spaces and outcomes of engagement. Overall, a reflexive approach to allow added opportunities for engagement to be facilitated by non‐academic actors is recommended, while the influences of different academic disciplines in defining the possibilities for such opportunities is acknowledged.