From subjects to citizens

Last week I attended the "Translating Science to Policy: Protecting Children's Environment Health" conference put on by the Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health and WEACT. As a parent this conference was overall chilling, but also motivating. Sandra Steingraber spoke with particular eloquence on a point of interest for researchers, advocates and community residents alike. She said that one of the big mistakes of the environmental health movement in the last 15 years was to address people as consumers rather than citizens.

This insight made me think about changes in research attitudes over the years from traditional biomedical research to intervention research to CBPR. Researchers have been moving away from thinking of people as subjects. Participants is a word favored in CBPR circles. Clients in intervention research. It seems that for the most part we are still missing that leap, the leap that Sandra Steingraber has taken, of seeing all people as citizens - that is as political actors.

One appeal of intervention research and of CBPR is that you don't have to wait to complete research to begin to address identified problems. This instinct is a good one, many problems our communities face are serious or even dire. However, as Steingraber pointed out, on many issues we can't afford the time to research, to educate the public, and to wait for policy reform. From chemical regulation to emissions control to criminal justice reform, some problems impacting human health need immediate action. Is it possible that beginning to think of our research participants, our communities, and ourselves as citizens is a first step in achieving the kind of rapid policy reform that is necassary for our survival?

How might viewing yourself and the people you work with as citizens first affect your research, change strategies, and desired outcomes?