The notion of “People’s Science” is one with a plethora of definitions. Though it has been coined relatively recently, since the 1970s, the idea of “People’s Science” has been there for centuries. Roli Varma defines the People’s Science Movement (PSM) as “a new type of social movement, so [its] objectives, modes of action, and compositions of activists are differentiated from the movements associated with the Left” (Varma). Varma argues that PSM is a new social movement and therefore has a different way of approaching their topics of discussion versus the government. Most PSM movements are diverse and work on a wide variety of issues from protecting the environment to spreading the use of science and technology for all people. Varma goes on to compare the different movements that are taking place in India and describing their tactics to gain what they want. Varma also discusses the so called “science wars” that are taking place between scholars that strongly believe that “scientific knowledge is influenced by social and cultural factors,” and those that believe that culture and society have no influence on science (Varma).

PSM has organized a variety of protests and organized social demonstrations. The people of India have been getting together to oppose “the destruction of the their livelihood” for many decades (Varma). They have protested against global organizations entering India, deforestation, and even the building of dams. All of these protests have been led by PSM organizations in order to preserve the livelihood of the lower socio-economic classes in India. One of the core values of PSM is that class, background, and socio-economic status should not affect access to science or technology.

But my personal definition of the PSM is different. I believe that “People’s Science” has been around for hundreds of centuries.

When the European colonizers came east in search of trade and land, they could not comprehend what they were about to run into. The Europeans did not take the time at first to even attempt to understand how the Indian subcontinent was thriving. How could entire nations and civilizations be running smoothly without the so called “Western technology and knowledge” that the Europeans prided themselves in? I believe that “People’s Science” is all types of science that has helped people, as an entire civilization, to flourish and become better. An example would be of folk medicine. Until this day my grandmother has folk remedies that seem to work brilliantly to fix most any ailment. She does not always rely on “Western Medicine” to solve all of her problems, yet when the Europeans first arrived in the Indian subcontinent, they saw these people as “savages” that needed to be shown the right way of life. Bernard Cohn’s book, Colonialism and Its Forms of Knowledge, contains a brief history of the British’s attempt of understanding the Indian subcontinent. Throughout the history of India, as told by the British colonizers, India is described as “picturesque” and “romantic” to marginalize the advancements of the local people (Cohn). This marginalization of the native people has greatly influenced so much literature and history about technology, that there is no point of view being shared from the people that are at the bottom of the system. This is a great injustice for any native population, especially those that were so much more advanced than they were given credit for being.

The main questions that comes to my mind are; what makes my grandmother’s knowledge classified as savagery? Isn’t her knowledge just knowledge? Isn’t this expertise of folk medicine just as important as the chemists that make our so called “advanced Western medicine?” Is my grandmother not a scientist in her own right? Constantly throughout India history, whether before, during, or after colonization, women have been ignored and their contributions to society have been ignored as well. Unfortunately this trend is still alive in well in India, and the achievements of women are barely noticed. What would the world look like if mothers, grandmothers, aunts, and sisters didn’t know basic chemistry to cure ailments?

Overall this top down view of history has done a great injustice to the native people of India, especially women. One can only hope that in the future, the histories and technological knowledge of the natives and women in particular are given more thought and consideration.

For further reading: Meera Nanda’s books