https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4862-8855
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ABSTRACT
In this article, we analyze the existence of spatial activism in Argentina, characterized by the production of spatial knowledge. This type of activism is part of what is called here “epistemic activism.” The hypothesis held by this research is that contemporary activism appears on the condition that: it invents and mobilizes (uses) concepts to produce and channel public deliberation in a framework that enlightens the social problem in question in a new fashion, and in turn, influences political action. Thus there is awareness (a form of reflection) about the fact that the transformation of this world depends radically on epistemic ascent. The desire to change the world is mobilized by the imaginary those concepts allow.
To this purpose, this is an in-depth analysis of the underlying epistemic processes of the activist group Iconoclasistas*, which developed a methodology for collective mapping and a spatial expertise based on work in different cities worldwide. Drawing from the contributions made by Science, Technology, and Social Studies, the contents of the maps are studied in the dynamics of their production, their social forms of legitimization, and how they entered the ecology of spatial knowledge, being differentiated from knowledge or maps produced by academic, state or company experts. *Iconoclasistas: This word is the result of blending the Spanish nouns for icon and class, to convey the idea of constructing class images.
RESUMO
O presente trabalho tem como objetivo analisar a existência de um ativismo espacial radicado na Argentina que se caracteriza pela produção de conhecimentos sobre o espaço e o território. Este tipo de ativismo forma parte do que é chamado aqui de “ativismo epistêmico.” A hipótese desta investigação é que o ativismo contemporâneo se apresenta com esta condição: inventa e mobiliza (utiliza) conceitos para produzir e canalizar a deliberação pública num quadro que ilumina de uma forma inovadora o problema social em causa e assim influencia a ação. política. Ou seja, existe uma consciência (uma forma de reflexividade) de que a transformação desse mundo depende radicalmente da ascensão epistêmica; o desejo de mudar o mundo é mobilizado pelo imaginário que estes conceitos permitem.
Por isso analisam-se em profundidade os processos epistêmicos subjacentes do grupo ativista Iconoclasistas, que desenvolveu uma metodologia de mapeamento coletivo e uma expertise espacial a partir do trabalho em diversas cidades do mundo. Desde as contribuições oferecidas pelos Estudos de Ciência, Tecnologia e Sociedade indaga-se sobre o conteúdo dos mapas elaborados, a partir das dinâmicas de sua produção; das formas sociais de sua legitimidade e sobre como os mesmos ingressaram na ecologia dos saberes espaciais, diferenciando-se dos conhecimentos e ou mapas produzidos por expertos académicos, estaduais ou empresariais.
RESUMEN
Este trabajo tiene por objetivo analizar la existencia de un activismo espacial radicado en la Argentina que se caracteriza por la producción de conocimientos espaciales. Este tipo de activismo forma parte de lo que aquí se denomina “activismo epistémico.” La hipótesis sostenida en esta investigación es que el activismo contemporáneo se presenta con esta condición: inventa y moviliza (utiliza) conceptos para producir y encauzar la deliberación pública en un marco que ilumina de manera novedosa el problema social en cuestión y, con ello, incidir en la acción política. Esto es, hay una conciencia (una forma de reflexividad) de que la transformación de ese mundo depende de manera radical del ascenso epistémico; el deseo de cambio del mundo está movilizado por el imaginario que esos conceptos habilitan.
Con tal fin se analizan en profundidad los procesos epistémicos subyacentes del grupo activista Iconoclasistas, que desarrolló una metodología de mapeo colectivo y una experticia espacial a partir del trabajo en diversas ciudades del mundo. Desde los aportes que ofrecen los Estudios de Ciencia, Tecnología y Sociedad se indaga en el contenido de los mapas elaborados; en la dinámica de su producción; en las formas sociales de su legitimación y cómo los mismos ingresaron a la ecología de saberes espaciales diferenciándose de aquellos saberes y/o mapas producidos por expertos académicos, estatales o empresariales.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Notes
1 In this work, the expression “spatial knowledge” identifies what is socially recognized as knowledge of the space, understood as a material and symbolic coordinate on which social life emerges and is organized. Some research work has identified spatial knowledge as ambiguous (Shavit and Silver Citation2016) and has also recognized its nature of social production (Bridge Citation2018). For a current agenda of geographical knowledge and spatiality, see Shoorcheh (Citation2018). In this text, spatial knowledge is identified from a naturalistic perspective (Barnes Citation2010), understood as the result of the systematic observation of the social game of acknowledgement of knowledge, of its individuals or agents, and of its institutions.
2 In fact, various disciplines have produced spatial knowledge. For example, for the study of the Covid-19 pandemic by mobilizing spatial metaphors (Kremer and Felgenhauer Citation2022) as well as for the analysis of its expansion worldwide (Bissell Citation2021). In Latin America, there is now a new way of producing spatial knowledge through collective mapping linked to citizen science. This production is channelled through the Geocensos Foundation (http://www.geocensos.com/2014/01/ciencia.ciudadana.html/).
3 The research group has been raising the concept of epistemic activism as recognition of a form of activism that produces an epistemic rise over the sphere of intervention in the public space. This concept finds a relevant antecedent in Medina and Whitt (Citation2021), and Medina (Citation2022), with a similar sense in that they recognize the role that concepts play in the collective public action of activism. However, an analysis of the epistemic processes underlying the production of new knowledge is proposed here. The concept raised by our group has a more general perspective since it recognizes that the condition of epistemic ascent is a condition of a new type of activism.
4 This general hypothesis underlies the consideration that the STS approach is claiming to have a place and it also justifies a central role in the ecology of knowledge of the contemporary world.
5 The work of Castelnuovo Biraben (Citation2015) is particularly relevant. He analyzed the role of Guarani women in the production of geographical knowledge about space in the context of a territorial conflict in Argentina.
6 Epistemic ascent is a concept built from the analogy with semantic ascent. That is, a device makes knowledge the topic, instead of what is intended to be known (Quine Citation1960).
7 Maps and a set of pictograms can be accessed freely on their website: https://iconoclasistas.net/.
8 A recent example of this type of scientific or expert activism in Latin America is the group Unión de Científicos Comprometidos con la Sociedad y la Naturaleza de América Latina (UCCSNAL) (Scientists Committed to Society and Nature of Latin America), formed in June 2015, editors of Ciencia Digna magazine (http://uccsnal.org/documento-constitutivo-uccsnal/).
9 Such a concept is relevant since it is based on the observational, conceptual, and methodological accumulation of STS researchers, who have progressed in making visible the ways in which scientists and experts come to know objects and processes of their interest. As Mackenzie (Citation2011) points outs, such progress is evidenced in a series of concepts developed to understand the epistemic processes deployed by social practices: “local scientific cultures”; “subcultures” and “rival traditions”; “experimental cultures”; “epistemic cultures”; “evidence cultures.”
10 In this regard, see: https://archivo.argentina.indymedia.org/news/2010/11/761328.php.
11 For Misgav, “space activism” is not a new form of activism but a tool of analysis; for us, it constitutes a new type of activism within epistemic activism.
14 This is the resource acronym of the group Hijos e Hijas por la Identidad y la Justicia contra el Olvido y el Silencio (sons and daughters for identity and justice, against oblivion and silence). This group is formed by sons and daughters of missing people, and in a wider sense, victims of state terrorism.
15 Since 1985, there have been a number of legal trials to civilians and military men who committed crimes against humanity during the self-proclaimed “National Re-organization Process” (1976–1983). In 1989 and 1990, the president of that time, Carlos Menem, signed about ten decrees granting pardon to more than a thousand and two hundred people sentenced in those trials. For further information, please visit the following: Comisión Nacional sobre la Desaparición de Personas (Citation2011); AAVV Citation1990 http://sedici.unlp.edu.ar/handle/10915/55099).
16 For example in the collective mapping on Montevideo and Ciudad Vieja “the possibility of forming a stable group to work on this issue in depth was strongly emphasized” (Iconoclasistas Citation2018a).
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Notes on contributors
Oscar Vallejos
Oscar Vallejos has a degree in Humanities. He is a professor of Science, Technology and Society at the Universidad Nacional del Litoral/Argentina. He is a member of the Comparative Studies Centre at the School of Humanities and Sciences at the Universidad Nacional del Litoral. His current research focuses on the role of knowledge and epistemic processes in the configurations of social problems and on the history and foundations of mathematics and linguistics.
Norma Levrand
Norma Elizabeth Levrand is a lawyer. She holds a PhD in Law (Universidad Nacional del Litoral). She is currently an assistant researcher of the National Council of Science and Technological Research (CONICET) at the Institute of Social Studies (CONICET-UNER). She is a professor at the Universidad Nacional del Litoral and the Universidad Autónoma de Entre Ríos (Argentina). She currently directs and participates in research projects on the legal problems of the management of cultural and natural heritage with special emphasis on mechanisms of citizen participation.
Gabriel Matharan
Gabriel Matharan holds a degree in History, a Master’s Degree in Science, Technology, and Society and a PhD in Social and Human Sciences. He teaches different meta-theoretical subjects (Epistemology of Sciences, Methodology of historical research and Science, Technology and Society) at the Universidad Nacional del Litoral and Universidad Autónoma de Entre Ríos. His areas of research are the histories of the conformation of chemistry, microbiology, and librarianship as disciplines in Argentina and Latin America. The author also researches the relationship between the production of knowledge and social problems.