What is PRISMS?

The PRISMS Collective, an acronym for Promoting Responsible, Inclusive, & Socially just Methods in Science, is a self-organizing group dedicated to reforming scientific practices through the lens of social justice. At the core of PRISMS’ mission is the belief that challenging conventional methods is not only intrinsic to science but crucial for addressing contemporary issues. The collective aims to create momentum for systemic change within science, technology, society, and their intersections, with the ultimate goal of making these domains more diverse and just.

PRISMS’ work is guided by several key questions: How do we define and enact science that upholds social justice? Why is this work crucial? What are the challenges of centering social justice in science? These inquiries form the foundation of the collective’s approach to integrating justice into scientific endeavors.

The collective’s approach is multifaceted and comprehensive. At its heart is a commitment to community engagement. PRISMS prioritizes the perspectives of those most affected by scientific projects, recognizing that real-world experiences of marginalized communities are essential for grounding initiatives in practical realities. This involves engaging with disengaged communities on their own terms, structuring non-extractive engagement, and embedding community insights throughout the scientific process. The collective strives to reconcile community needs with scientific goals, fostering uncomfortable but necessary conversations to align justice with scientific objectives.

Empowerment and inclusivity are key aspects of PRISMS’ strategy. The collective focuses on empowering individuals to enact change within their institutions, framing social justice within political frameworks, and disseminating best practices globally. PRISMS emphasizes the importance of local specificity, ensuring that diverse cultural, religious, and indigenous perspectives are integrated into their frameworks. This approach challenges Western-centric visions of science, drawing from Islamic, Hindu, and indigenous understandings to create a more holistic and inclusive scientific paradigm.

Open science is another significant area of focus for PRISMS. The collective advocates for open access models, open peer review, and public accessibility to democratize scientific knowledge. However, PRISMS is mindful of the potential inequities that open science might exacerbate if not implemented thoughtfully, and works to address these concerns in their advocacy.

Building a robust science and social justice network is fundamental to PRISMS’ mission. The collective recognizes the need for sustainable infrastructure, diverse expertise, and existing networks to support their work. By recruiting members from various fields and ensuring representation across gender, beliefs, geography, and sectors, PRISMS fosters an inclusive and dynamic community. Their aim is to create an enabling environment where members feel empowered to contribute proactively.

PRISMS also grapples with economic considerations and power dynamics in scientific endeavors. The collective scrutinizes the role of private foundations in driving change, working to establish trust and evaluate funders aligned with their values. They envision prestigious projects where top entities can be visible partners, creating a global bank for social justice action in science.

The collective’s work is not without challenges. PRISMS acknowledges the difficulty in balancing inclusivity with scientific rigor, navigating potential conflicts between social justice goals and funder interests, and addressing the gap between accelerating scientific progress and societal adaptation. However, these challenges are viewed as opportunities for innovation and growth.

Looking to the future, PRISMS aims to create frameworks, indices, and toolkits for social justice in science. These tangible products will be designed for ready application by others, ensuring local specificity while addressing global challenges. The collective is committed to fostering solidarity, building networks, and supporting global partnerships to create a more socially just scientific landscape.

The PRISMS collective stands for “Challenging science for challenging times,” reflecting their commitment to valuing the variations within science and society. They believe that by challenging conventional practices, they can create the momentum needed for systemic change. As a self-organizing collective, PRISMS is driven by the values of courage to act and humility to be held accountable. Their vision is to create an inclusive, just, and equitable scientific community that acknowledges and reduces harm, redistributes benefits equitably, and ultimately makes the world more just through scientific innovation.

Through their collective, interdisciplinary knowledge and expertise, PRISMS strives to make science, technology, and their intersections more diverse and just. They recognize that the speed of scientific advancement is outpacing societal and institutional adaptation, and they work to bridge this gap. By aggregating their knowledge and forming a unique umbrella organization, PRISMS aims to achieve the critical mass needed to effect meaningful, systemic change in scientific practices and outcomes.