Staging Knowledge Mobilization: Playwriting as Method

• In Event: 2481 - Sociology in Practice Settings Symposium Roundtable Session
  In Informal Discussion Roundtable: Table 03. Emerging Methods

Abstract

My presentation will be based on methodological considerations of playwriting as a method of knowledge mobilization. In particular, I focus on the value and tensions in processes of playwriting and disseminating knowledge in the format of a theatrical production. This methodological discussion is grounded in a larger study of queer and anti-racism intersections in Toronto that is informed by ethnographic research methods including semi-structured interviews with those who self-identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans*, queer, questioning, intersex, pansexual, two-spirit, asexual, and/or allies (LGBTQQIP2SAA) (n17) and my own observations at LGBTQQIP2SAA-focused events in Toronto such as the Greenspace Festival by the 519 Community Center and Pride Toronto’s annual pride parade. I will refer to LGBTQQIP2SAA collectively as the rainbow community. Playwriting as a method of knowledge mobilization for findings from the larger study emerged from interviews with members of Toronto’s rainbow community, those who work with queer-focused organizations, and community organizers. I found through conversations with participants that academic forms of knowledge mobilization, such as publishing in peer-reviewed journals, would not necessarily be accessible to community members or appropriate for encouraging discussion and social action at the local level. Participants suggested a range of social action strategies in relation to linking anti-racism and queer social issues, most of their suggestions centered on increasing understanding through discussion and the value of the arts in their social organizing. I decided to meet the challenge of engaging in effective knowledge mobilization that would be in service to the rainbow community by developing a stage production that would focus on the opinions and experiences of people in Toronto’s rainbow community. My presentation will encourage people to expand conceptualizations of effective knowledge mobilization, particularly in intersectional settings that represent a range of social locations including varying education levels, socio-economic positions, mental wellness, and physical ability.

Author

• Sylvia Grills, Queen's University