FAIR OPEN SCIENCE AS A POWERFUL RESOURCE IN THE FIGHT AGAINST COGNITIVE INJUSTICE IN FRANCOPHONE AFRICAN UNIVERSITIES AND HAITIFLORENCE PIRONTHOMAS MBOA NKOUDOU

UNIVERSITÉ LAVAL, ASSOCIATION SCIENCE ET BIEN COMMUN - PROJET SOHA - APSOHAFLORENCE.PIRON@COM.ULAVAL.CA

Title : Open science as a collective tool of empowerment and cognitive justice in Haiti and French-speaking Africa : building the roadmap 2 main investigators : Florence Piron, Université Laval et Diéyi Diouf, Université Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar, but many co-researchers in 10 countries : a very decentralized networked project, always open to new ideas, collaborators and sub-projectsGrant given by OCSDnet, IDRC, DFID for 2 years : 70 000 $A website : http://projetsoha.org with a blog, interviews, training tools in open scienceMany Facebook Groups including a huge one with more than 3400 members, a newsletter, discussion lists.

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Our reflexion today is anchored in a research-action project : SOHA

Objective 1. Document the main obstacles to the sustainable adoption of open science by graduate students from Haiti and Francophone AfricaObjective 2. Build and test different tools and strategies of training in open science, in French or local languages. For instance, we intend to set up a collaborative web documentary about open science composed of short videos shot by graduate students about their relationship with science and open science. Objective 3. Document the potential reception in African and Haitian universities of two open science tools that are particularly effective against cognitive injustice or for bridging science and society: institutional repositories and science shops.Objective 4. With all the co-researchers and participants, build a French-speaking international, interdisciplinary, sustainable, open and democratic network advocating open science in Francophone Africa and Haiti.Objective 5. Create one roadmap per country to advance open science.

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Theoretical and ethical starting points : • Radical critique of the positivist epistemological position

which is dominant in « science »• Universal science is in fact science from and for the Global

North and, under the influence of the knowledge economy paradigm, is neoliberal science

• Neoliberal science gives birth to neoliberal universities obsessed by performance and competition and forgetful of the Common Good

• Science is in fact one way among others to create knowledge, that is to say a way of understanding and representing our environment and ourselves. It is anchored in culture.

• Western epistemology can be violent towards other epistemologies, particularly from (post)colonized countries.

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Our anger is strong :- Unequalities between the North and the Global South- General despise and rejection of local knowledge from the

Global South, even by scientists from the Global South- Universities seen as training tools for the future elite and not

as tool of local sustainable development- Invisibility of science from the South and of languages from

the South in academic journals from the North- Too many dysfunctionalities within universities from the Global

SouthA situation of global cognitive injustice : Cognitive injustice is a situation, a phenomenon, a policy or attitude that prevents students and researchers to deploy the full potential of their scientific research capacity in service to local sustainable development.

Another science is possible (title of one of our papers):

• A science based on an inclusive universalism, open to all epistemologies and viewpoints : science as a dialogue between knowledges rather than as a knowledge existing only insofar as it crushes other knowledges (fascination with social and political epistemology in SOHA!)

• A science based on values of cooperation, sharing, friendship, compassion, understanding, refusal to separate personal life and values from research work : a science anchored in contexts and relationships seen as tools and not obstacles.

• A science calling for cognitive justice : a situation where everyone could contribute with their knowledge to the commons of knowledge, regardless of their country, social class, gender.

• The roadmap towards cognitive justice asks for a finer analysis of cognitive injustice : the first resultats of SOHA analysis.

9 COGNITIVE INJUSTICES IN UNIVERSITIES FROM FRANCOPHONE AFRICA AND HAITI AS COMPARED WITH THE GLOBAL NORTH, HARMING THE LOCAL RESEARCH CAPACITY1. No research infratructure and no science policy (no political will)2. Financial and legal barriers to access to scientific publications3. Digital literacy and access to the web are rare 4. Local knowledge, though culturally and socially relevant, is

excluded or disrespected. 5. The wall between science and society is a barrier 6. The Western research system is closed to those not fitting its

mold7. The language of science is colonial 8. The pedagogy of humiliation is still rife in universities9. Epistemic alienation is profound : feeling obliged to think

with an epistemology and a bibliography from the North

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OPEN SCIENCE : A WAY TO TRANSFORM SCIENCE PRACTICED IN THE GLOBAL SOUTH TOWARDS MORE COGNITIVE JUSTICE ?5 pillars of open science (in our definition, not a universal one):

1. Collaborative / cooperative way of working together2. Citizen science, participatory research, research-action3. Free and open software and licences4. Alternative organizations aiming to bring closer

research and society (Fablabs, makerspaces, science shops)

5. Open access to scientific resources

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1ST PILLAR: COLLABORATIVE WORKOpen science encourages students and researchers to work closely together instead of being isolated from fear of being robbed- Share one’s bibliographies, notes, papers, findings, data- Mutually criticize texts and ideas- Multiply co-authors- Use web tools to write and think together- Use social media

Zotero, Framapad (Free version of Google drive), Trello, Authorea

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2ND PILLAR : CITIZEN SCIENCEIn citizen science, non-scientists are invited to participate in research projects (without being paid) for the sake of science. Very popular in environmental surveys and observational activities. Numerous projects on sci-starter websiteIn Participatory research-action in social science, research sbjects are invited to participate in the design and the interpretation of the project.

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3RD PILLAR : OPEN SOFTWARE AND LICENCES

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4TH PILLAR : ALTERNATIVE ORGANISATIONS BRIDGING SCIENCE AND SOCIETY

• Fablabs, makerspaces, living lab, co-working spaces : where scientists, entrepreneurs, students, teachers, etc. can come in the same place and try ideas, concepts, machines.

• Science shops : a mediation service within a university linking civil society organization and students/professors.

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5TH PILLAR : OPEN ACCESS

● Thanks to the web, more and more scientific publications are on the web

● Some of these documents are accessible only by subscription or by payment with a credit card: they are « closed ».

● Some documents are accessible without any barrier : they are in open access.

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OPEN ACCESS : A VIEW FROM THE GLOBAL SOUTH

A SCIENTIFIC PAPER IN NEOLIBERAL REGIME OF KNOWLEDGE IS…

- A geopolitical issue (competition, ratings, etc.)- An economic issue : For-profit publishers (Elsevier,

Sage, Nature PG, etc.) make a lot of profit in publishing (online) and selling articles that scientists funded by public money give them voluntarily at no cost

- A professional issue : quantity of publications is essential to academic careers (quality??)

- An industrial issue : how to combine industrial secret and publication?

For what purpose do some academics advocate open access for all to scientific publications?

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FIRST PURPOSE OF OPEN ACCESSImprove the productivity of research and researchers - Eysenbach (2006) : Since open access maximises the

number of quotations, it « is likely to benefit science by accelerating dissemination and uptake of research findings ».

- The quicker the results are disseminated, the quicker research advances, the more scientists publish and the morer their career prosper

- Journals are managers of this incessant flux of results and papers.

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SECOND PURPOSE OF OPEN ACCESS• A mainly economic purpose : « Open Access to science

and data = cash and economic bonanza », according to Neelie Kroes (2013), Vice-president of the european community en 2013

• OECD is for open access since it increases the potentialities for innovation : « avoiding duplication while facilitating replication, accelerating discovery, and driving innovation ».

• Innovation that can be tranformed into merchandise, markets.

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THIRD PURPOSE OF OPEN ACCESS• Democratization of access to scientific

knowledge for people without an affiliation to a university: • K-12 teachers• Non-professional science lovers• Civil society organizations• Journalists• Public administrations• Graduates wishing to continue to learn and think

• From a fiscal justice viewpoint, open access gives bacl to tax-payers what they funded through their tax.

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IN FRANCOPHONE AFRICA AND HAITI • University librairies have so few resources that students and

professors are in the same position as the « outcasts » in the North.• Immediate and integral open access is a wonderful

opportunity for them to access up to date scientific information. But it is mainly information from the Global North!

• Open access responds only to one of the cognitive injustices, not to all of them

• Open access to publications from the North could even increase epistemic alienation (cognitive injustice 9) if students and professors don’t have access to any local science or science from the Global South.

• Open access should be accompanied by empowerment strategies for students and professors from Africa and Haiti, guiding them towards more research and publication in open access. 20

HOW TO OBTAIN OPEN ACCESS

Two possibilities for researchers: - Publish in an open access journal (Gold way)- Archive one’s papers in an institutional repository

(website) (green way)

Conditions :Researchers must commit themselves to open accessThey must not fear journalsThey must have electricity and web accessThey must have a basic digital literacy, not considering that what is on the web is of less quality than what is printed.

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24 octobre 2016, après un resserrement des critères d’admission

DOAJ: lists of open access journals

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African journals

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Le répertoire des archives universitaires ouvertes

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OPEN ACCESS IS MORE AND MORE PUSHED BY SCIENCE POLICIES IN THE NORTHAccrued productivity of science and possibility of innovations+Fiscal justice=Most countries from the North demand that the publicly-funded scientists put their papers in open access 12 months after the publication at the latest.

Science policies in Africa could fight oyher cognitive injustices (web, grants, scholarships, national languages in universities …)

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SCIENCE SHOP: A SPECIFIC MODEL FOR AFRICA AND HAITI

USUAL MODUS OPERANDUS OF A SCIENCE SHOP IN THE GLOBAL NORTH

1. A civil society organisation suggests a project which could be a solution to a difficulty or a need regarding its mission

2. The Science shop recruits students and professors to do the project

3. The project is done by the students, under the supervision of the professor/tutor

4. The students give their report to the CSO 5. The CSO does not pay anything6. The students get course credits or a mark for their

participation

INADEQUACY OF THIS MODEL IN HAITI AND AFRICAOn the university’s part : • In Global South, a University’s mission is very often to train

future elite and public officials, not to be a sustainable local development tool

• A Global south university perceived itself as an elite organization; local academics may tend to despise local CSOs’ work and local knowledge (cognitive injustice)

• In a global South university, the main language is the colonial language (English or French), sometimes not well spoken among CSOs

• The pedagogy is not open to replacing lectures with team work on specific projects

INADEQUACY OF THIS MODEL IN HAITI AND AFRICAOn the CSO’s part : • In the Global South, supporting local CSOs generally refers

to financial assistance. What organizations expect foremost to receive is money, not academic help.

• A university is generally perceived as an elite organization. Therefore, CSOs may have trouble understanding the concept of "free" services that could be offered to them by an elite institution.

• The location of the science shop office in a university building may also hamper the engagement of civil society organizations with university.

• Usually, CSOs do not see the relevance of a university for them or for sustainable development…

OUR VISION : SCIENCE SHOP FOR AFRICA AND HAITI

De-localize the science shop outside university buildings, in areas where CSOs are active

Allow and encourage the use of local languages by CSOs and students

Carefully prepare a communication strategy, in local languages, to explain the concept of a science shop to CSOs; organize workshops

Enlarge the science shop mission to include a general dialogue between academics and civil society about the role and uses of a university

Enlarge the science shop range of services to make it a global resource (training)

These services : Add to the science shop a wifi-powered makerspace, where

people (students, CSOs, lecturers) can do things together : express needs and ideas, build things, but also discuss their problems, exchange ideas, solutions, research the web etc.

Research and methodology training for students and lecturers, through tutorials and mutual mentoring : how to manage a concrete project, write a report, but also how to use web tools, to research the open access web, to publish in open access, etc.

Workshops and conferences about sustainable development, local knowledge, CSO’s work and missions, alternative pedagogy, etc.

SOHA has generated 9 projects of science shop in Haiti, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroun, Guinée, Mali, Niger, Sénégal and RD Congo

SOHA PROJECTS OF EMPOWERMENT

FACEBOOK DISCUSSIONS

GRENIER DES SAVOIRSAn African platform of open access journals

ÉDITIONS SCIENCE ET BIEN COMMUNAn open access book publisher, plurilingual

MOOC FOR DOCTORAL STUDENTSHow to design and write a thesis proposal within a cognitive justice perspective

THEATER PLAY ABOUT COGNITIVE JUSTICECollaborative writing with students from Haiti, Cameroon and Burkina FasoA play explaining cognitive justice and showing the importance of local knowledge and of a better relationship between universities and civil society, universities and villages

RECHERCHE DOCUMENTAIRE DANS LE WEB SCIENTIFIQUE LIBREA guide in 8 steps to help students from the Global South or citizens non affiliated to a university find open access articles, journals, on the subject that they are interested in.

ROBOTIQUE - FABRELIntroduction to robotics for primary school teachers in a Cameroon village

Collaborative writing of local biology and physics textbooks bu secondary school teachers

Collaborative papers and books

We have organised 3 conferences (2 in Haiti, 1 in Cameroon) to present open scienceto local students. Hundreds came and gave their opinion.

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