Abstract

Citizen science (CS) is an emerging field in 21st century China. Chinese CS mainly focuses on environmental and species monitoring. According to Danielle Brombal, Asian studies scholar, Chinese CS is highly instrumental and data-focused, i.e., used primarily to promote scientific research, but places little value on citizen scientists' social and emotional context. Brombal suggests a transformative change for Chinese CS, which aims for a radical change of individual cognitive and emotional attitudes, as well as collective norms. The end goal is the transition to sustainability or ecological civilisation for the entire of China. This paper discusses the potential of facilitating such transformative changes through the Natural History Revival Movement, an environmental movement in contemporary China, which proves to be consistent with Brombal's proposed transformation of Chinese CS as regards goals and approaches.

https://doi.org/10.22323/1.418.0078