Critical Engagement with Public Sociology
A Perspective from the Global South
Edited by Andries Bezuidenhout, Sonwabile Mnwana and Karl von Holdt
ISBN
978-1529221152Dimensions
234 x 156 mmImprint
Bristol University PressISBN
978-1529221145Dimensions
234 x 156 mmImprint
Bristol University PressISBN
978-1529221169Dimensions
234 x 156 mmImprint
Bristol University PressISBN
978-1529221169Dimensions
234 x 156 mmImprint
Bristol University Press
Critical Engagement with Public Sociology
The idea of public sociology, as introduced by Michael Burawoy, was inspired by the sociological practice in South Africa known as ‘critical engagement’. This volume explores the evolution of critical engagement before and after Burawoy’s visit to South Africa in the 1990s and offers a Southern critique of his model of public sociology.
Involving four generations of researchers from the Global South, the authors provide a multifaceted exploration of the formation of new knowledge through research practices of co-production.
Tracing the historical development of ‘critical engagement’ from a Global South perspective, the book deftly weaves a bridge between the debates on public sociology and decolonial frameworks.
"Drawing from sociology, South African politics and labour studies, this volume provides a much-needed and inspirational account of what sociology could and should be. This is an essential history and practice that must be remembered and kept alive in global disciplinary forums.” Nandini Sundar, Delhi University
“Michael Burawoy's call for a 'public sociology' was inspired, in large part, by sociologists in the global South, including in South Africa’s anti-apartheid struggle. As the essays in this volume demonstrate, there is much can can learn from their experiences and from their strategies for dealing with tensions between public engagement and the demands of academe.” Gay Seidman, University of Wisconsin-Madison
“Successfully navigating the complexities of setting up in-depth studies, producing the research data and promoting its utilisation to an array of publics including politicians requires a ‘critical engagement’ approach which is argued for and illustrated.” Charles Crothers, Auckland University of Technology
Andries Bezuidenhout is Professor of Development Studies at the University of Fort Hare, South Africa.
Sonwabile Mnwana is Professor of Development Studies in the Department of Sociology at Rhodes University, South Africa.
Karl von Holdt is Professor and former Director of the Society, Work and Politics Institute at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
1. Critical Engagement in South Africa and the Global South: An Introduction - Andries Bezuidenhout, Sonwabile Mnwana and Karl von Holdt
2. Critical Engagement and SWOP’s Changing Research Tradition - Andries Bezuidenhout and Karl von Holdt
3. Choosing Sides: The Promise and Pitfalls of a Critically Engaged Sociology in Apartheid South Africa - Edward Webster
4. The Decline of Labour Studies and the Democratic Transition - Sakhela Buhlungu
5. From ‘Critical Engagement’ to ‘Public Sociology’ and Back: A Critique from the South - Karl von Holdt
6. The Antinomies and Opportunities of Critical Engagement in South Africa’s Rural Mining Frontier - Sonwabile Mnwana
7. Sociological Engagement with the Struggle for a Just Transition in South Africa - Jacklyn Cock
8. Feminist Participatory Action Research in African Sex Work Studies - Ntokozo Yingwana
9. Participatory Action Research for Food Justice in Johannesburg: Seeking a More Immediate Impact for Engaged Research - Brittany Kesselman
10. Dilemmas and Issues Confronting Socially Engaged Research within Universities - Aninka Claassens and Nokwanda Sihlali
11. Experiences of Meetings and Cooperation between Academics and Unions: The Work Studies Group from the South (GETSUR) - Dasten Julián Vejar
12. Critically Engaging Public Sociology in Turkey and 'Sociology across the South' - Ercüment Çelik
13. Reflections on Critical Engagement - Michael Burawoy
14 Conclusion: Towards a Southern Sociology - Karl von Holdt
