[Book Discussion] Social Scientists in the Civic Space. (A. Virmani, J. Boutier and M. Kumar)
The Centre de Sciences Humaines is pleased to invite you to a roundtable discussion on the Book:
Social Scientists in the Civic Space
Ethical Perspectives on Democratic Involvement
(credit: book cover, Routledge)
Edited by: Arundhati Virmani, Jean Boutier, and Manohar Kumar
On
Wednesday, 29 January 2024, 5:00 pm onwards
At
Alliance Française de Delhi,
ML Bhartia Auditorium, 72 Lodi Estate, New Delhi 110003
Free and open to all but Limited seats, first come first serve.
Moderator: Laurence Gautier (CSH)
Panelists:
– Arundhati Virmani (École des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales-EHESS),
– Jean Boutier (Director of Studies at École des hautes études en sciences sociales-EHESS)
– Manohar Kumar (Assistant Professor, IIIT Delhi)
– Nandini Sundar (Professor of Sociology, Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi)
– Denys Leighton (Professor and Dean, Jindal School of Languages and Literature, OP Jindal University)
– Mridula Mukherjee (Professor, Centre for Historical Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University)
Abstract: This roundtable will discuss the role of social scientists in the public sphere, drawing on the recently published book Social Scientists in the Civic Space. The book explores the stakes for the social sciences around four central problems: the challenges of context; modes of intervention; involvement; and the ethical dilemmas for the scholar in a democratic space. The first, challenges of the context, examines the variety of situations confronted by scholars since the beginning of the 20th century. These include their interventions in key judicial affairs, the impact of technological developments like the introduction of big data, or even the positionality of the scholar. Second, the book investigates the modalities according to which social scientists may intervene in the civic space: in particular as specialists, as experts, or in the media. A third problem brings together some cases illustrative of researchers’ involvement in critical issues, such as food policies, major social reforms, or gender-related questions. Finally, the book concludes with a reflection on the modes of exercising critique or dissent in democratic societies and on the ethical dimensions of involvement in the civic space.
Supporting partner Alliance Française de Delhi
For more information, contact: communication[at]csh-delhi[dot]com