How much Activism can Sociology Afford?

Öffentliche Veranstaltung, Anmeldung möglich

Moderation: Bénédicte Zimmermann, Professor of Sociology, École des hautes études en sciences sociales, Paris, former Permanent Fellow of the Wissenschaftskolleg

The current environmental, geopolitical, and democratic crises profoundly challenge the relationship between social science, critique, and action. While research funding policies urge researchers to have an impact on society, if the latter take a stand in the public debate, they may be labelled as inappropriately critical or even as activists. Are there different ways of being critical that are more or less compatible with scientific work? Should scientists be considered activists when they use scientific evidence to challenge conventional wisdom and misconceptions, for example about the climate crisis and biodiversity? And what exactly do critique and activism mean in contexts where academic freedom of expression is under threat? To answer these questions, three experts on migration, inequality, and public policy will share their perspectives.