Being Curious with Secrecy

Abstract

This article contributes to ongoing attempts to broaden out theorizations of secrecy from an intentional and willful act of concealment to a cultural and structural process. We do so by fostering a conversation between secrecy and curiosity. This conversation is enabled through a review of central themes in secrecy studies and curiosity studies, but also through an examination of a collaboration between the science center “We the Curious” and a network of academic researchers. In doing so, this article makes a case for the benefits of paying more attention to curiosity as a means of facilitating a multifaceted understanding of secrecy, and for the benefits of creative and participatory research to foster the (re)theorization of secrecy.

Keywords

• action research
• allure
• curiosity studies
• framing
• ignorance
• learning
• public engagement
• secrecy studies