Abstract
This interdisciplinary study explores humanities and social sciences expertise commissionedand later contested by the State regarding shark risk in Réunion Island. The appointed expertimplemented a participatory framework with transformative aims and authored a novel toexpose power dynamics while circumventing institutional pressures. The dual communicationapproach (scientific expertise and literary narrative) is discussed with both the expert-authorand the state commissioning authority. Referring to the theory of evolutionary governance,this study illustrates how power-knowledge forms related to risk management are contestedand reconfigured in a context of public controversy.