5. Globalizing Scholar Activism: Opportunities and Dilemmas through a Feminist Lens

Scholar-activists in an expanding European food sovereignty movement

“…Definitions of scholar activism vary considerably across fields and disciplines but usually include some of the following elements: (a) a desire to address public issues (Calhoun 2008) and/or contribute to social change; (b) a link, relationship, identification or political alignment with a marginalized group or emancipatory struggle (Hale 2006(Hale , 2008Piven 2010); (c) a commitment to produce emancipatory knowledgedefined as knowledge that is useful to the movement or struggle in questionor to reconfigure how knowledge is produced and controlled (Bickham Mendez 2008;Hale 2008); research methods that enable the research process and outcome to be shaped by horizontal dialogue with research participants (Bevington and Dixon 2005;Hale 2006;Routledge and Derickson 2015), leading to the co-production of knowledge (Casas-Cortés, Osterweil, and Powell 2008;Autonomous Geographies Collective 2010;Choudry and Kapoor 2010).…”

“…Among these privileges are time and money, but also social capital, greater access to national or transnational public spheres and, increasingly important in the age of 'information politics', the ability to package information in ways that will impact policy debates. This suggests a growing political role for research and for academics who can put their cultural capital to work for social movements as translators (Bickham Mendez 2008, citing Gaventa 1993Harper 2001). It also points to serious challenges for scholar-activists who will inevitably find themselves trapped in contradictions because their translation/packaging work is always at risk of obliterating other forms of '(subjugated) knowledge' (Bickham Mendez 2008, citing Collins 2003.…”

“…This suggests a growing political role for research and for academics who can put their cultural capital to work for social movements as translators (Bickham Mendez 2008, citing Gaventa 1993Harper 2001). It also points to serious challenges for scholar-activists who will inevitably find themselves trapped in contradictions because their translation/packaging work is always at risk of obliterating other forms of '(subjugated) knowledge' (Bickham Mendez 2008, citing Collins 2003.…”

“…Finally, researchers discussed the technical support they contribute to various local, national or global policy processes, confirming their involvement in 'translation' processes that have important power implications. Indeed, while this packaging of information may be necessary and welcomed at times, in particular in policy or advocacy processes, the technical intervention of researchers may also obliterate movement knowledges (Bickham Mendez 2008) and risks transforming movement demands (Claeys 2012). This translation role was mentioned explicitly in an interview with a coordinator of a food sovereignty network, while reflecting on the recently reformed structure of the International Planning Committee for Food Sovereignty (IPC), who noted:…”

A cosmopolitan culture-bearer as activist: Striving for gender inclusion in Nepali music education

“…As part of a larger development project, this case study is based on an attempt to understand the challenges faced by the emerging Nepali music education system from the perspective of the country’s cultural diversity and new educational policies that the country plans to implement. We therefore understand our role as researchers as being involved in the negotiations on difference taking place in local communities and organizations (Bickham Mendez, 2008, p. 152) where it is impossible for us to sustain a position of neutral observer. In alignment with the basis of the larger project on music teacher education, we maintain what could be seen as an “observant participation approach” (i.e.…”