Scientists and Non-scientists Compete for Authority Over Science in West Africa
The uptake of science communication in Africa is often hampered by religious and traditional belief systems, previous experiences with science and conspiracy theories about Western interventions in African affairs.This paper examines the oral polio vaccine revolt in Northern Nigeria and historical boundary disputes in vaccination controversies in Europe and the United States.The paper also examines the tetanus toxoid controversy in Cameroun, the Ebola crisis in West Africa and draws similarities from the Zika virus disease crisis in Brazil.The contestation over boundaries with science in religiously conservative Africa is made more complicated by the dual role of some scientists as religious leaders and as previous studies show, the public may have similar levels of trust in both.Religious intervention can also be double-edged, acting as a hindrance and partner in the propagation of scientific ideas.
Bankole Falade
South African Research Chair in Science Communication, Centre for Research on Evaluation, Science and Technology, Stellenbosch University, South Africa
国际会议
北京
英文
172-178
2018-01-05（万方平台首次上网日期，不代表论文的发表时间）