[AktiviX-request] Re: [AktiviX-discuss] aktivix and academic/activist projects: principled objections?

[Harry Halpin]

While I don't participate in running Aktivix, my two cents is that the
obvious solution is to ask:

1) Are these academics that also identify as activists, with the goals
of social change, and see their research as working towards these goals?

or

2) Are these just academics that are studying activism from the
*outside*, i.e. do not identify with the goals of social change, but
consider it an interesting research project?

If the answer is 1), yes - they should get aid, like anyone else in
Britain working for social change. If the answer is 2), then obviously
they should just use Uni. resources at their respective Unis.

cheers,
harry

Josh Robinson wrote:

> On Sat, 17 Dec 2005, GarconDuMonde wrote:
>
>> -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
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>>
>> hi,
>>
>> slowly catching up with emails...
>>
>>>>> there is currently a request on aktivix-request at lists.aktivix.org
>>>>> for a
>>>>> list to be used by a group who are working in universities doing
>>>>> research related to activism - and who want to use their work to
>>>>> funnel
>>>>> resources into projects like aktivix.
>>>>
>>
>> "research related to activism" i.e. not activism.
>
>
> I don't think there's such a simple divide. This may be in part my
> trying to convince myself that my PhD and the related research is
> itself an activist project (and this is a contention that I'm prepared
> to argue at as much length as people want) -- it's not simply the case
> that funding to be a student gives me time which I can then spend
> 'doing activism'; rather, the work I do is a fundamentally important
> part of (although not the sum-total of) my activism.
>
> FWIW, Aktivix already hosts lists for the Autonomous Study Project --
> a (broadly) research and learning collective that is involved in
> researching a whole bunch of stuff to do with politics, intellectual
> property, 'culture', technology. Most (but not all) of whom have some
> sort of connection with one or other academic institution in
> Cambridge. If there's to be a dividing line between the two projects,
> I'd like to see the rationale for its existence.
>
> Josh
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