Premium
Separating Social Science Research on Activism from Social Science as Activism
Author(s) -
Kende Anna
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
journal of social issues
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.618
H-Index - 122
eISSN - 1540-4560
pISSN - 0022-4537
DOI - 10.1111/josi.12172
Subject(s) - contest , scope (computer science) , social activism , context (archaeology) , sociology , public relations , political activism , work (physics) , political science , social movement , engineering ethics , epistemology , politics , computer science , engineering , law , mechanical engineering , paleontology , biology , programming language , philosophy
This special issue illustrates that for a better understanding of activism, we need to look at activities that differ from one another in their means and goals. As the topic is inherently politically contentious, reflection on what, why, and how we study activism becomes especially important. Drawing on the findings of the studies in this special issue, this concluding article outlines five propositions for areas of self‐reflection from scientific and policy perspectives. The propositions touch on (a) broadening the scope of activism research to include movements with politically antagonistic goals, (b) the importance of examining activities that contest the social structure as well as those that work within the system by providing support and services, (c) the necessity of testing traditional theories of activism in a technologically changing context, (d) endorsing methodological plurality in activism research, and finally (e) researchers’ responsibilities for the practical implications of their findings.