{"id":7999,"date":"2025-10-22T14:41:46","date_gmt":"2025-10-22T19:41:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/sociology\/?p=7999"},"modified":"2025-10-22T15:09:03","modified_gmt":"2025-10-22T20:09:03","slug":"sociology-prof-gauchat-presented-his-research-at-northwestern-universitys-inaugural-symposium-on-science-and-politics-hosted-by-the-kellogg-schools-center-for-science-of-science-an","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/sociology\/news\/sociology-prof-gauchat-presented-his-research-at-northwestern-universitys-inaugural-symposium-on-science-and-politics-hosted-by-the-kellogg-schools-center-for-science-of-science-an\/","title":{"rendered":"Prof. Gauchat presented research at Northwestern University\u2019s inaugural Symposium on Science and Politics, hosted by the Kellogg School\u2019s Center for Science of Science and Innovation."},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Talk Title<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Science and Democracy: Revisiting the Institutional Model<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abstract<\/strong>
This talk revisits the relationship between science and democracy through the lens of the institutional model of science. Drawing on Merton\u2019s classic formulation and recent developments in cultural and cognitive sociology, I argue that science is best understood as a norm-governed institution whose credibility depends on both normative commitments (e.g., universalism, communalism, skepticism) and epistemic practices (e.g., consistency, theorization, fallibilism). Using survey evidence on science literacy and public attitudes, I show that the cultural authority of science shapes how citizens evaluate democratic governance, with science providing a belief system for navigating complexity and uncertainty. At the same time, polarization and populist movements expose the fragility of this cultural affinity. By rethinking the institutional model, we can better explain how science sustains legitimacy in democratic societies\u2014and why that legitimacy is vulnerable under conditions of distrust and ideological contestation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Talk Title Science and Democracy: Revisiting the Institutional Model AbstractThis talk revisits the relationship between science and democracy through the lens of the institutional model of science. 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