The bottom-up meanings of the concept of public participation in science and technology

If the rhetoric pervading much of recent academic and policy discourse is to be taken at face value, engaging the public in the governance of science has become a kind of gold standard. However, very little is known about citizens' perspectives on public engagement in the governance of science, let alone about the social processes and the meaning participation acquires within actual engagement exercises. This article analyses the bottom-up meanings of the concept of public participation in a public engagement exercise in Austria, and traces the variety of connotations and implications that this term was given by the participating citizens and scientists.