Politically Engaged Scholarship in Social Movement Studies

Abstract

This chapter is inspired by the controversy surrounding positivist approaches in German sociology in the 1960s and motivated by the author’s continuing personal struggle of coming to terms with what might be termed “politically engaged scholarship.” Since this is not a problem specific to social movement studies because it has been discussed on principle grounds as a matter of philosophy, logics, and methodology of human and social sciences, the chapter refers, first but very briefly, to this fundamental debate that prepares the ground for similar debates in special fields like social movement studies. Second, the chapter aims at providing a descriptive and analytical overview on engaged scholarship in social movement studies. Here the focus is not specifically on Marxist, neo-Marxist, or post-Marxist approaches, but on the broader spectrum of politically engaged scholarship. Moreover, the chapter is not restricted to the most recent period but ventures further back. Third, the chapter reflects on the advantages and problems of engaged scholarship and promotes an approach that includes both closeness and distance vis-à-vis social movements as an object of study.