Paper short abstract:

This paper explores STEMtelling, a storytelling tool in STS, emphasizing its role in building epistemic cultures. It discusses how STEMtelling, grounded in Helen Longino's criteria for social inquiry, fosters inclusive, collaborative practices and challenges practices of epistemic justice in STS.

Paper long abstract:

Storytelling is often delegated to the borders of scientific discourse. Yet, stories and storytelling practices are both distinct tools of communication and methods of knowledge production to foster pluralistic and reflective engagement in STS. In this paper, I discuss how storytelling, specifically STEMtelling, can become more central to scientific discourse in epistemic cultures and building interdisciplinary scientific inquiry. This paper presents the theoretical basis for STEMtelling, an STS storytelling tool that I developed, as a method of social inquiry. Guided by Helen Longino’s requirements for social inquiry, I argue that STEMtelling establishes an inclusive and collaborative approach to building epistemic cultures that work towards epistemic justice. Through experiences, values, and scientific practices, STEMtelling acts as an entry point for critical discourse in scientific knowledge making. STEMtelling demonstrates how narratives can promote a more robust public and shared standards in understanding multiple epistemologies and disciplinary languages. Additionally, through analysis of historical and contemporary practices of how scientists have engaged with the narrative form, this paper demonstrates how storytelling is essential to scientific knowledge production. Findings from this paper will support the theoretical development of STEMtelling, as a storytelling tool. This research contributes to critical STS debates, offering a novel approach of how STEMtelling can be used to engage in new approaches to epistemic cultures and the structures of scientific knowledge making towards practices of epistemic justice.