MARGINALIZED DISCOURSES AND SCIENTIFIC LITERACY

The central position of this article is that an important component of scientific literacy is an understanding of the reciprocal impact of s cience and the general culture on each other. The article focuses on t he marginalized discourses that have arisen to oppose the racism, sexi sm, and classism espoused and advocated by mainstream science since it s institutionalization until the first half of the 20th century. The a rticle explores the pedagogical value of studying these oppositional d iscourses to demonstrate the permeability of the boundaries between sc ience and the general culture. It also discusses how the issues raised by these discourses can be used to enhance the scientific literacy of students.