Author: Tommaso Vitale Date: Subject: [movimenti.bicocca] social movements and activist research:
international meeting
> > Conference/Meeting About Social Movements and Activist Research
>
> 1. Presentation
>
> This meeting have as its objective to establish a space of encounter,
> exchange, self-formation and debate from the "social movements" (SM)
> in relation to activist research/investigation.
>
> We are conscious of the fact that the word "social movement" is argued
> over, so, in order to avoid misunderstandings, what we mean by Social
> Movements in the contest of this meeting is: those collectives,
> organizations and groups that from forms of organization that are not
> institutionalized work for social transformation from a critical perspective > of collective emancipation.
>
> We believe that the central, most important part of the meeting falls in
> the participating subjectivities of activist research, realized from/for
> social movements. We are critical of academic research that studies SM
> like a mere object of to be known.
>
> We invite to participate all of those people and collectives that are
> interested in (re)creating, (re)thinking, (re)inventing and
> (re)appropriating of these knowledge and of the formation from the focus
> on "activist research/investigation". We are not hoping for a local
> encounter, since already taking root in the globalization of dynamics of
> production, command and coercion, we believe that we need to
> strengthen networks of interchange and exchange much beyond the
> borders and boundaries constituted by the confines of States, in order
> that we can (co)learn from one another, so that we can define shared
> lines of intervention without this taking place at the cost of establishing a > local coordination between the distinct experiences of activist
> research/investigation.
>
> Finally, we hope that the conference auto-constitute itsefs as a-
> disciplinary in order that we overcome the fictitious academicism
> distinctions/divisions.
>
> THREE PRINCIPLES FROM WHICH WE BEGIN:
>
> - Activist Research/Investigation
>
> We believe that Activist Research can be on of the instruments for the
> critical transformation of the current/actual realities.
> We want that our research generate changes, give visibility to conflicts and > add another element to social mobilization.
> We make explicit our political commitment in the actual/current cycle of
> protests.
>
> -Beyond the academic disciplines
>
> It seems to us that the institutional academic field is a space in which the > very relations of power we are trying to break, are reproduced.
>
> We believe that it is necessary to overcome the division of knowledge
> between disciplines that seem as if they were separate and closed
> compartments. We want to generate knowledge from our own subjective
> positions (as opposed to the supposed objectivity of the sciences),
> without limitations or hierarchies.
>
>
> - Collective production and shared knowledge
>
> We believe that it is necessary to create spaces and mechanisms of/for
> collective production, exchange and reflection around these knowledge.
> We denounce that mercantilism and privatization of knowledge as one of the
> cause of social exclusion. We want to break with the logic of imposed
> knowledge and make of investigative processes emancipators instruments of collective > production and shared knowledge.
>
>
> 2. Who is organizing this conference/meeting?
>
> This initiative comes from a group of people who do research from/of
> SM, some from autonomous/self-run spaces and others more closely
> related to academic institutions, but that try to overcome the narrow
> marks of academicism. This initial group, numerically 'small' has decided
> to open itself to other persons interested in the project.
>
> An Organizational Assembly/committee has been put together,
> consisting at this moment of 15 people. The participation in this
> committee is open. (if you are interested in following the meetings of this > organization group you can consult the notes at the conference website
> [->http://www.investigaccio.org]
>
> The logistical work will be done mostly by people who live in the
> metropolitan area of Barcelona; but we do not want that the conference
> be designed solely by this organizational committee. We give much
> importance to the participation of all of you in defining what this meeting > will be. For this reason we have activated 2 list servers, so that those
> people who cannot participate in person but are interested in
> contributing ideas, suggestions and critiques, can do so.
>
> These are: recercammss@??? For the discussion and
> dissemination of information about general/larger themes, for example:
> the design of the contents of the meeting. org-
> recercammss@??? Directed towards those who are able and
> interested in having a more integral role in the organization of the
> workshops themselves (i.e. logistics, etc.)
>
> In order to subscribe to either list you simply need to send an email to
> the list, adding to the object of the mail the word "subscribe" (to <
> href="mail
> to:recercammss@???">recercammss@??? if you
> want to subscribe to the list of general information; and to : org-
> recercammss@??? you want to subscribe to the list of
> organization.)
>
> We also ask that once you subscribe you send a brief introduction of
> yourself, your interest in the meeting and how you found out about it.
> Send to: [->llistes@???].
>
> We are also putting together a website [->http://www.investigaccio.org]
> with a high level of interaction
>
> -If you want to help the only person working on this particular task
> please send an email to: admin@??? - If you want more
> information about the conference, please contact:
> info@??? - If you are able to/want to help with translations, > please write us specifying what language you can translate from and to.
> To: traduccions@???
>
>
> 3. When and Where
>
> The conference/meeting will take place in Barcelona (Catalunya, Spain)
> around the 22th -25th Jenuary 2004. We are discussing which days
> between Thursday and Sunday are the most adequate due to the
> availability of the participants; soon we will have a place in the Web
> where you can communicate your preferences. The conference will take
> place in the Ateneu Popular de Nou Barris
> http://www.noubarris.net/ateneu/, pleace closed to Social Movements.
>
> We are trying to find lodging for all of the participants, in the individual > houses of the organizers and in an autonomous social center with more
> space (we have not made any definitive decisions yet).
>
>
> 4. What and How
>
> We want to fill the content of the conference according to the interests
> of the participants, and in order to do that we will begin an on-line
> collective debate (both on the list servers and on the website). In
> principle, we would like to offer spaces in which groups can
> confront/meet, like tables of debates and workshops, as well as things
> like plenary where we can share information, learning collectively all
> together. We believe that in order to take the most advantage of the
> time we have, we should omit grand presentations and dedicate
> ourselves directly to confrontations and/discussions. Contributions, in
> text form, can be realized by including in the web site [-
> >http://www.investigaccio.org] self produced material that can serve as
> the basis for the debates. There will be no official language for the
> meeting. All languages will be welcome. In the smaller discussion tables
> we will try to reach a consensus around the language spoken by the
> largest number of participants, whereas in the plenary we will have a
> system of simultaneous translation-interpretation using a radio circuit. If > you know more than one language you would be stupendous if you
> could help us with the translation!!! As such we would also ask, as much
> as it is possible, for those who contribute texts to offer summaries in
> other languages (and if someone wants to contribute translation, that
> will be very welcomed)!
>
>
> 5. Financing
>
> This meeting as usual, is autonomous/self-organized, and for this
> reason we are trying to produce the least expenditures as possible. We
> are debating the eventuality of having to put a small minimum inscription
> fee (to cover primarily the costs of food and materials). We are also
> looking to have a small amount for basic expenses for the conference as
> well as for providing small travel scholarships to those who want to
> come but cannot afford to. In the future we will define criteria for
> apportioning these travel scholarships in case that the requests for aid
> exceed our capacities to pay. We have decided not to subsidize the
> travels of people who have there own means of coming. We are also
> asking those organizations and collectives who want to participate to
> look for their own sources of funding and if by chance you find other
> means of subsidizing that you would like to render collective? fabulous!
>
> Finally, we want to remind you how important it is that we have
> collaboration in the entire process of defining the meetings. Visit our
> website, get in contact with us, inform individuals and collectives that
> would be interested and get involved in what you can. We will see each
> other in January!
>
> --
>
>
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