Public communication of science, scientific culture and sense of localness. The case of the city of Teruel, Spain

Introduction. This article analyses how the sense of localness mediates the articulations of the public communication and the social perception of science, as part of the configuration of scientific culture. Method. The analysis is based on the case study of the Spanish city of Teruel, which is examined by means of a semi-structured questionnaire and interviews. Results. The main consequences of the mediation exercised by the sense of localness in the public communication and the social perception of science occurred in such areas as the assessment of the communication of science in local media, the opinions on Teruel's scientific institutions and their impact on local development, and people's commitment to increase scientific culture in the city. Discussion. Taking into consideration the previous results, the article examines the main dimensions (communicative, emotional, individual/collective relationships) in which the local dimension mediates those articulations. Conclusions. The local dimension mediates the configuration of scientific culture in a complex way.