Viewing Research for Social Justice and Equity Through the Lens of Zygmunt Bauman's Theory of Liquid Modernity

• In Event: 25.027 - Multimethod Approaches to Research for Social Justice and Equity in Education

Abstract

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explain Zygmunt Bauman’s theory of liquid modernity and engage the reader with a discussion regarding how this new time that we are living in has affected all areas of society, but specifically the work of the researcher. If research in education is going to continue to advocate for equity and social justice, an understanding of this theory is imperative.

Theoretical framework
This paper is written through the lens of Zygmunt Bauman’s theory of liquid modernity, in which he posits that the nature of our lives and our world are always in flux. As a population, we do not stand still long enough to create solid bonds, to value secrets or people or things, to separate a public life from a private life. This theory acts as a guide to help the reader understand how the conditions of our social world are acting upon us as social actors, citizens, and human beings.
Methods
This paper is built from a literature review that took into account Bauman’s writings regarding liquid modernity. From his 2012 text, Liquid Modernity, to his posthumous 2017, A Chronicle of Crisis, a review of Bauman’s work served at the primary method for writing this paper and making connections between education research and liquid modernity.

Data Sources
Zygmunt Bauman’s vast body of work served as the primary data source for this paper. As a sociologist who always worked to understand the world and the ways in which the human population is impacted by greater forces outside it, his understanding of this current time and the ways in which our world is changing because of it is crucial to making the link between liquid modernity and the work of the researcher.

Conclusions
When working to conduct educational research, it is crucial that we approach our work with social justice and equity at the forefront. In order to do this, we must understand the current time that we are inhabiting and the ways in which this time is affecting not only the work that we do, but the ways in which we approach and understand our research participants.

Scholarly Significance
As researchers, specifically educational researchers who are concerned with social justice and equity, Bauman’s theory of liquid modernity should act as a guide to inform the work that we do and the ways in which we approach research participants. If we mistakenly conflate the characteristics of our time with the characteristics of our subjects, we run the risk of perpetuating the status quo, which will only derail any attempt at social justice work. Researchers need to consider the experiences of human subjects with the time of liquid modernity in mind, in order to give greater context and recognize the ways in which our current lived experience is markedly different than it was during the modern and post-modern times.

Author

• Danielle T Ligocki, Oakland University