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Basta Debat Science for Social Change: impossible or unwanted?
Waar: Kargador , Oudegracht 36, Utrecht, Netherlands
Wanneer: 16/01/2014 - 19:30
Dit debat zal in het teken staan van de relatie tussen activisme en de wetenschap. Activistische wetenschappers zullen hun ervaringen delen over de moeilijkheden en mogelijkheden van het produceren van kennis in dienst van sociale verandering.
“When you enter the University, leave your politics at the door”. This is not an uncommon expression to welcome new students starting their academic careers. Scientists are to be objective, neutral and dispassionate, only then can you be a part of the enriching process of knowledge production. The truth about society has to be encountered with a “distant gaze” which assumes that politics can be seperated from science. But what about another frequently heard expression: “Knowledge is power”. If this is true, how can politics be kept out of science? Is that even feasable or desirable?
During this Basta! debate we will challenge the goals of the social sciences in society today, and discuss the possibilities and contradictons for a social science in service of positive social change. What happens when a researcher takes on a political stance? How to deal with questions of validity and positionality?
Speaking from personal experiences with critical research, investigative journalism and decolonial thinking, four critical researchers will share their thoughts, difficulties and dreams about a science that contributes to social change. Come and let your voice be heard!
Panel speakers:
- Fiona Dave, director of the Transnational Institute in Amsterdam
- Rolando Vasquez, assistant professor of Sociology at University College Roosevelt of Utrecht University, specialized in postcolonial thinking and part of The Transnational Network of Other Knowledges
- to be announced…..