Being/Becoming an Activist Scholar: Lessons From Cultural-Historical Activity Research

Session Type: Invited Speaker Session

Abstract

Socio-cultural theory was born of activism. It emerged in the early, most improvisational moments of the Russian Revolution, and one of its continuing provocations is that it does not claim to be objective or apolitical. It is now over a hundred years since that revolution, and we are also living in a moment of upheaval and rapid change. In this invited symposium, we will hear from three scholars who each have each spent decades working with socio-cultural theory at the intersection of activism and research. They will share their experiences and understanding of being activist scholars. Then a panel of emerging scholar activists will collectively interview and respond to the presentations and lead a discussion with the audience.

Sub Unit

• SIG-Cultural-Historical Research

Papers

• Research-Activism as Tool and Result - Lois Holzman, East Side Institute

• Revisiting and Reviving Activism and Commitment to Social Equality and Justice From a Transformative Activist Stance - Anna Stetsenko, City University of New York

• Maintaining White Innocence: Reconceptualizing Inquiry Through Social Design–Based Experiments - Kris D. Gutiérrez, University of California - Berkeley

• What Is a 21st-Century Activist Scholar to Do? - Carrie L. Lobman, Rutgers University; Jennifer A. Vadeboncoeur, The University of British Columbia; Angela N. Booker, University of California - San Diego; Fernanda Coelho Liberali, Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Sao Paulo; Svetlana Jovic, Pratt Institute; Thomas M. Philip, University of California - Los Angeles; Aria Razfar, University of Illinois at Chicago; Michael Frazier, University of West Georgia