CfP: Translating Knowledge: From Theory to Praxis
Translating Knowledge: From Theory to Praxis, June
2-3, 2023
Sociology and Social Anthropology Graduate Conference, Central
European University, Vienna
Submission Deadline: April 30, 2023
Keynote speakers:
John Clarke, Emeritus Professor of Social Policy, The
Open University, UK
Shahram Khosravi, Professor of Anthropology,
Stockholm University, Sweden
Translating academic knowledge into social praxis has always
been a central question for critical theory. This is particularly true in an
age of polycrisis. Neoliberal globalization has intensified the exploitation of
natural resources, the financialization of social reproduction, and the precarization
of labor. Climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic, and housing precarity yield a
unique moment that urges us to consider how to bridge the gap between academic
and practical knowledge. Moreover, the rise of chauvinist discourses and
authoritarian political regimes around the world, often accompanied by outright
attacks on knowledge production, has narrowed the potential for social
scientists to communicate and impact public discourse. In this conference, we
aim to explore the ways to overcome these challenges and translate our work
into meaningful social action.
Translating knowledge into action has long been integral to
grassroots activism in housing, migration, gender equality, and environmental
justice. Academics continue to take an active part in social movements, working
together with NGOS and mobilizing/ bottom-up initiatives. We understand
translation not only in the linguistic sense, but in a broader sense as
interpretations, associations, and representations that mediate between
different contexts. As Clarke et al. (2015) remind us, translation has a double
significance “as both an act of domination (the means through which power,
hierarchy, and rule are re-inscribed) and a condition of possibility in which
dialogue, talking back, and building connections and solidarities [...] become
possible.” We take this double significance of translation as both a
potentiality for engaged social research and a methodological tool in need of
serious critical reflection. This conference asks: What can be gained or
lost in the translation of knowledge? How can translation be used for
community-oriented social research? How can it be used as a critical
methodological tool? We invite papers that draw on empirical analyses as well
as theoretical ones which focus on, but are not limited to, the following
topics:
- Theoretical
frameworks and conceptual models that investigate the role of translation
in emancipatory knowledge production, such as critical pedagogy,
collaborative research, or participatory action research.
- Alternative
methods, research designs and strategies for knowledge translation in the
social sciences and beyond, such as visual artwork, digital media
production, or engagement with policy makers, activists, and journalists.
- Challenges
and methodological limitations of translation (i.e., power dynamics
between researchers and research participants, policymakers, and activists
or other social agents).
- Constraints
and difficulties in creating and translating knowledge in academia under
neoliberalism.
- Rethinking
and conceptualizing the interactions between the domains of policy,
activism, and academia.
- Ethics
and social responsibility of Participatory Action Research (PAR).
- Roles
and contributions of sustainable institutions and collectives within and
beyond academia for translating knowledge into social action and/or for
creating inclusive educational and learning environments.
We welcome submissions from scholars and practitioners from
various disciplines including sociology, anthropology, geography, economics,
political science, and related fields.
Submission Guidelines:
- Abstracts
should be no more than 200 words
- Submissions
should be in English
- Submissions
should include the title of the presentation, the author's name, institutional
affiliation, geographical provenience and contact information (as some
travel support might be available on a need basis)
- Submissions
should be sent to SocAnthGradConf2023@ceu.edu by April
30th, 2023.
URL: https://sociology.ceu.edu/article/2023-03-31/graduate-conference-call-papers