The Making of Expertise in Turbulent Times: Scientific, Functional, and Experiential Knowledge in the Clean Air Movement

Abstract

This study contributes to the literature on expertise and social movements by advancing a production model of expertise that highlights how crises destabilize established domains of authority and generate new forms of knowledge through relational and collective processes. While prior research has emphasized boundary maintenance and contestation within professional and occupational groups, this study foregrounds how disruptions—such as the COVID-19 pandemic—can catalyze the reconfiguration of boundaries and the emergence of alternative expertise. Through a qualitative study of the Clean Air movement in Canada, we examine how coalitions of academics, professionals, and laypeople mobilized in response to the pandemic to advocate for improved indoor air quality, particularly in schools. Based on interviews with 30 informants and analysis of documents and social media content, we identify how diverse actors formed cross-sectoral alliances and developed new expertise to address airborne disease transmission. We find that the production of expertise was shaped by three archetypes—scientific, functional, and experiential expertise—each associated with distinct practices: reforming technical knowledge within established institutions, creating professional standards, and assembling grassroots networks. These findings reveal how crises act as catalysts for boundary reconfigurations, allowing disparate actors to co-produce new domains of expertise and challenge traditional authority structures.