Resistance and Knowledge Production: Social Movements as Producers of Theory and Praxis

Caitlin Schroering

doi:10.18046/recs.i29.3181

Authors

Caitlin Schroering University of Pittsburgh https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3416-3441

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18046/recs.i29.3181

Keywords:

Knowledge Production, Transnational Social Movements, Water, Alter-globalization, Capitalism

Abstract

Drawing on fieldwork with Brazil’s Movimento dos Atingidos por Barragens (MAB), the author argues that MAB’s struggle is not just around those affected by dam projects; rather it is a part of a larger “alter-globalization” project. The author posits that MAB is not simply a social movement actor but a producer of knowledge that articulates theory and praxis resisting the larger hegemonic imperialist system. In this paper the following questions are explored: What can academia learn from social movements? How do scholars produce research that does not reinforce power hierarchies? And how do we create collaborative research?

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Author Biography

Caitlin Schroering, University of Pittsburgh

Ph.D. candidate in Sociology at the University of Pittsburgh (USA). She has a background in environmental and social justice organizing and her dissertation research examines transnational right-to-water movements.

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