Abstract
This paper explores the contribution that pragmatist philosophy can make to the way that we do research and teaching in human geography. It provides a historical overview of the key ideas in the tradition, their influence on the Chicago School of Sociology and community organizing, and the implications of this work for epistemological practice. The paper then looks at the variety of ways in which human geographers are using research as a means to engage in the world today, focusing in particular on the contributions of participatory action research (PAR), before making the case for ‘process pragmatism’ as a framework for doing this kind of research. To illustrate the potential of this approach, the paper outlines current research, teaching and organizing activity being undertaken by geographers at Queen Mary University of London. The paper suggests that pragmatism provides a theoretical and methodological foundation for research and teaching which can facilitate the creation of new publics, and can help to build power and democratic capacity with the aim of remaking the world.
Highlights
As we write, the academy is in the grip of a shift in thinking
While increasing numbers of geographers are deploying various forms of engaged research and related activity such as participatory action research (PAR), citizen science (Haklay, 2013), militant research (Halvorsen, 2014), and civic geographies (Philo et al, 2015), we argue that a focus on pragmatism can help to clarify and extend this kind of research
While geography has always sought to engage in the world, the contemporary juxtaposition of funding priorities that emphasize ‘impact’ alongside the pressing social, economic, political and ecological challenges that afflict our world means that geography has a renewed opportunity to demonstrate the value of this engagement via research and teaching
Summary
Since 2001, a number of staff and students at the School of Geography at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) have been practising public engagement through a long-term collaborative relationship with Citizens UK, a broadbased community alliance which seeks to build people’s capacity to participate in democratic processes. Examining the influence of pragmatism on the ethnographic methodology and the interventionist approach developed by the Chicago School has helped us to understand the philosophical underpinnings of the ideas and techniques associated with the community organizing tradition, which focuses on face-to-face listening and relationship building, plural forms of knowledge, the creation of publics, a deep commitment to democracy and political engagement Attention to this history has allowed us to reflect on the potential of pragmatic philosophy for guiding our discipline as we respond to the call for greater engagement today. In the rest of this paper, we outline how process pragmatism provides a framework through which ongoing research and knowledge production have the potential to facilitate the generation of new knowledge, the formation of pluralist alliances, education and self-development, the building of democratic capacity and the power to drive political action This approach has significant implications for the place and role of the university, its academics and students. The paper contributes to a small but growing strand of scholarship inspired by and/or deploying pragmatic ideas in the discipline of geography (Smith, 1984; Sunley, 1996; Barnes, 2008; Jones, 2008; Barnes and Sheppard, 2010; Barnett and Bridge, 2013; Bridge, 2014) while reflecting a wider resurgence in pragmatism across the humanities and social sciences (Rorty, 1979; Bernstein, 1992a, 2010; Joas, 1993; Putnam, 1995; Dryzek, 2004; Unger, 2007)
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