Scientists lost in declaration: Unacceptable remarks and the pursuit of sustainable positioning

Discursive transgressions of values widely shared by society or by a certain group of which the declarant is a part are a clearly identifiable and increasingly relevant social phenomenon, also in the academic field. This article has two main objectives. First, it aims to gain new insights into high-...

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Main Authors: Juan Pablo Cannata, Carolina Sánchez-Agostini
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2024-07-01
Series:Church, Communication and Culture
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/23753234.2024.2397552
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author Juan Pablo Cannata
Carolina Sánchez-Agostini
author_facet Juan Pablo Cannata
Carolina Sánchez-Agostini
author_sort Juan Pablo Cannata
collection DOAJ
description Discursive transgressions of values widely shared by society or by a certain group of which the declarant is a part are a clearly identifiable and increasingly relevant social phenomenon, also in the academic field. This article has two main objectives. First, it aims to gain new insights into high-complexity public conversations on controversial issues. Second, it seeks to identify the challenges faced by academic institutions in a world where disinformation is perceived as the most significant risk in the near term. This article presents the case of Nobel laureate Sir Tim Hunt and his ‘trouble with girls’ as a public discourse scandal that triggered both a large critical social response followed by Hunt’s expulsion from institutional positions in science, and a subsequent controversy that led to a deterioration of the credibility of the science system in the eyes of society at large. The case has been called ‘one of the most extraordinary academic tales of recent years’. Additionally, the article examines a contrasting case: the response of John Finnis and the University of Oxford to calls for the professor’s expulsion for allegedly promoting discrimination. For this analysis, the mechanism of sustainable public discourse that manifests a sustainable public positioning in high-complexity contexts will be given special attention since Elizalde’s theory of dissent. Analysis and conclusions are discussed.
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spelling doaj-art-549b8e96296c49ee8d01a02e57fd977b2025-08-20T02:13:11ZengTaylor & Francis GroupChurch, Communication and Culture2375-32342375-32422024-07-019241043410.1080/23753234.2024.2397552Scientists lost in declaration: Unacceptable remarks and the pursuit of sustainable positioningJuan Pablo Cannata0Carolina Sánchez-Agostini1School of Communications, Universidad Austral, Buenos Aires, ArgentinaIAE Business School, Universidad Austral, Buenos Aires, ArgentinaDiscursive transgressions of values widely shared by society or by a certain group of which the declarant is a part are a clearly identifiable and increasingly relevant social phenomenon, also in the academic field. This article has two main objectives. First, it aims to gain new insights into high-complexity public conversations on controversial issues. Second, it seeks to identify the challenges faced by academic institutions in a world where disinformation is perceived as the most significant risk in the near term. This article presents the case of Nobel laureate Sir Tim Hunt and his ‘trouble with girls’ as a public discourse scandal that triggered both a large critical social response followed by Hunt’s expulsion from institutional positions in science, and a subsequent controversy that led to a deterioration of the credibility of the science system in the eyes of society at large. The case has been called ‘one of the most extraordinary academic tales of recent years’. Additionally, the article examines a contrasting case: the response of John Finnis and the University of Oxford to calls for the professor’s expulsion for allegedly promoting discrimination. For this analysis, the mechanism of sustainable public discourse that manifests a sustainable public positioning in high-complexity contexts will be given special attention since Elizalde’s theory of dissent. Analysis and conclusions are discussed.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/23753234.2024.2397552Public discourse scandaldissent managementsustainable public positioningvaluesmoral outrage
spellingShingle Juan Pablo Cannata
Carolina Sánchez-Agostini
Scientists lost in declaration: Unacceptable remarks and the pursuit of sustainable positioning
Church, Communication and Culture
Public discourse scandal
dissent management
sustainable public positioning
values
moral outrage
title Scientists lost in declaration: Unacceptable remarks and the pursuit of sustainable positioning
title_full Scientists lost in declaration: Unacceptable remarks and the pursuit of sustainable positioning
title_fullStr Scientists lost in declaration: Unacceptable remarks and the pursuit of sustainable positioning
title_full_unstemmed Scientists lost in declaration: Unacceptable remarks and the pursuit of sustainable positioning
title_short Scientists lost in declaration: Unacceptable remarks and the pursuit of sustainable positioning
title_sort scientists lost in declaration unacceptable remarks and the pursuit of sustainable positioning
topic Public discourse scandal
dissent management
sustainable public positioning
values
moral outrage
url https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/23753234.2024.2397552
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AT carolinasanchezagostini scientistslostindeclarationunacceptableremarksandthepursuitofsustainablepositioning