Review and limitations of Militant Research in the social movements studies

Abstract

The social movements assembly usually promote the defence and application of participatory processes. This correlation has also been incorporated to the study of social movements, specifically to the field of research that is committed to social transformations. Epistemological terms like «Situated Knowledges » (Haraway, 1991) have motivated the Militant Research to discuss scientific objectivity. And thanks to this, they have articulated methodologies together and with the social movements. This article pretends to follow such an above mentioned paradigm within an ethnographic work on the evictions movement in Spain. We will use theoretical reflections applied all in relation to the controversial triangulation: militancy-academy-investigation. Among other questions we ask ourselves: Do we have enough with an ethnography involved with the collective action to generate a space of synergy among the academic knowledge and the social movements?, which limitations are we facing? Following this, a retrospective and critical exercise is made from different experiences which took place during the development of the work of field. In consequence, we conclude by saying that it is not enough with the predisposition and the will to generate a project of Militant Research, we should also have the responsibility to reveal those academic bias that weaken the articulation of epistemological practices involved with the collective action.