Activist Research as a Methodological Toolbox to Advance Public Sociology Sociologists – and social scientists more broadly – have often resorted to ‘public sociology’ and ‘activist research’ (AvR) with the aim of producing useful knowledge for the common good and also supporting emancipatory social movements and progressive policies. I define AvR here as collective processes of cooperation between academic researchers and non-academics in order to benefit the latter. This approach bridges theory and practice in ways that enhance the consistency and legitimacy of sociology as an engaged science. Recent debates on public sociology, however, have overlooked the central role of AvR. To reverse this relative omission, I suggest a clear typology of AvR processes and practices that have been used and hold the potential to advance public sociology. I also contend that in contrast to views of AvR as a clearly demarcated method, it encompasses multiple research, collaborative and action techniques so that it may be better conceived of as a ‘methodological toolbox’.
The Global Urban Festival celebrates the urbanisation of capital. Last spring the stars of a Finnish film, Fallen Leaves, took to the stage at the Cannes Film Festival to receive the Prix du Jury award on behalf of the world-renowned but elusive director, Aki Kaurismäki. This spring another Finnish star will grace audiences at the French Riviera. The Nordic country’s former social-democrat prime minister,…
De/descolonizar o urbano, insurreição nas periferias [PT] A motivação deste texto é mostrar a possibilidade da crítica da colonialidade do saber urbano por meio da narrativa de lutas atuais travadas nas periferias urbanas brasileiras, posto que o pensamento de/descolonial não se limita aos indivíduos, mas, antes, incorpora-se nos movimentos sociais. Meu principal argumento é que há, nas periferias, uma potência para elaborar respostas críticas por meio de formas de luta e resistência. E tal potência reflete a multiplicidade de respostas de/descoloniais dadas por culturas subalternizadas. No que diz respeito à produção do espaço, há, nos territórios periféricos, uma condição de emergência que faz com que se realize externamente aos espaços técnicos, acadêmicos e institucionais uma soma de ações, engajamento político e ativismos – uma soma de energias insurgentes […]
Urban commons from an anti-capitalist approach Many of the contemporary debates on urban commons lack an anti-capitalist approach. In addition, a number of misunderstandings regarding the common wealth, the city, the state, and the public sphere do not help to clarify the meaning of the commons. As a response to these problems, I first devise two useful concepts that stem from Marx’s original insights: primary and extended commons. Secondly, I critically examine the institutionalist views on urban commons due to their limitations in advancing anti- capitalist perspectives while also identifying some problems with the Marxist accounts. The different expressions of cooperative housing and squatting serve to illustrate how anti-capitalist urban commons are actually highly developed, despite significant restrictions that are also examined here. Hence, I argue that both the analysis and politics of urban commoning should focus on the joint contentious, cooperative, and democratic practices of the global working class when they deal with essential reproductive work and means of production which are widely independent from state rule and exploitative capitalist relations.
