Navigating the Borderland of Scholar Activism

Abstract

While applied sociology can take on many forms, it has been argued that public sociology is very much connected to the work of social movements. In this paper, I discuss my own scholar activism within the Movement for Single Payer Health Care Reform and its implications for the grassroots mobilization of this movement. This paper is, in part, a response to the call to develop discussions about the applied sociological process to better understand the “specific kinds of engagement” that make up radical public and social change–oriented applied sociology. The role of scholar activist is another avenue through which applied sociologists can better understand the social world and promote positive social change. Scholar activists can work within social movements to build theory about social movement mobilization through an interactive and empowering process that highlights the epistemological authority of movement participants. Scholar activists also act as a medium through which the collective experiences and narratives of social movement actors can be understood and shared with a wider audience. In this paper, I unpack one part of this process by engaging in the practice of reflexivity through which I analyze my role as a scholar activist within the Movement for Single Payer Health Care Reform.