Time: 53 minutes
“Changing positionality changes consensus reality.”
— Keelan Powell
The Collective: Keelan Powell, Holly Dear, Camila Pardo Uribe, Clare Boon
Episode Credits
Host: Keelan Powell
Special Guests: Holly Dear and Camila Pardo Uribe
Producers: Keelan Powell, Holly Dear and Camila Pardo Uribe
Audio editor: Keelan Powell
Show notes: Clare Boon
Your reality is like a tree. Each branch is a community whose experiences you share, but as you climb higher, those communities narrow. Your shared experiences become more and more specialised: a ‘special reality’. To get to the outermost branches, you need particular knowledge, skills, or experience. At the bottom of the tree, however, you share a common experience of reality with so many people, you could call it a ‘general reality’. But we sometimes forget it is still part of our great reality tree. Like shared language. Or internet access. That shared reality, the bit we forget is the trunk holding us up? That’s our Consensus Reality. It’s the part we both need to know, and don’t always need to voice, in communication.
In this episode, Master of Science Communication graduate Keelan investigates the concept of Consensus Reality with students Holly and Camila, discussing how this relates to our work as science communicators. They delve into the theory behind the concept, along with the intricacies of mimesis and fiction. The discussion touches on concepts including positionality, the impact of lenses, and the importance of context.
Get your climbing gear ready.
Episode links:
Read more about the deficit model here and here and listen to our episode on it here.
Read up on Donna Haraway’s situated knowledge here.
If you’re interested in Bourdieu’s social capital, you can read his original work on it here.
Keywords
Science Communication, Consensus Reality, Positionality
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