Democratizing Science and Social Justice: Case Studies and the “Who” and “How”
(led by Angela Ginorio)
Monday, February 23rd, 2009,  12:00 – 1:20 pm, Communications 202

The focus of this session will be on the social sciences. Flyvbjerg argues for the importance of values and power as central to analysis in the social science, and the need for case studies for deep understanding of both structure and process. In Ch. 10 Flyvbjerg provides a case study of decision making in urban design (from an expert perspective) while Simpson provides a case study of the clash between expert decision makers and grassroot activists. Sclove’s critique of STS (as of 1996) provides a disciplinary context for this discussion.

Listen to an audio recording (mp3) of the discussion.

See Prof. Ginorio’s handout (pdf).

Readings for this session:

Bent Flyvbjerg, Making social science matter: Why social inquiry fails and how it can succeed again (Cambridge University Press, 2001).

-Ch 9: Methodological guidelines for a reformed social science, 129-140

-Ch 10: Examples and illustrations: Narratives of value and power, 141-161.

Richard Sclove, “STS on other planets.” In the European Association for the Study of Science and Technology: http://www.easst.net/review/june1996/sclove (1996).

Andrea Simpson, “Who Hears Their Cry? The Case for Environmental Justice in Memphis, Tennessee.” The Environmental Justice Reader: Politics, Poetics, and Pedagogy. Eds. Joni Adamson, Mei Mei Evans, and Rachel Stein. (University of Arizona Press, 2002).

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