[Bilimsel Haber] "CONSTRUCTING SOCIAL CHANGE"

[Sule Tarakcioglu]

CASA 2006 MEETING: "CONSTRUCTING SOCIAL CHANGE"

Call for Participation

CASA meeting 2006

CONSTRUCTING SOCIAL CHANGE

22 June 2006 - 26 June 2006
Amsterdam, the Netherlands

The project of changing social relations has been related to the 
transformation
of material dimensions of class relations and given form by a politics of
redistribution. Yet a long tradition of criticism has shown that class 
is not
the only social organizing principle that constitutes our position in a
complicated and wide web of power relations. When we speak about 
oppression or
exclusion we equally have to mention gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity, 
health,
age, etc and social, economic and symbolic/discursive relations that 
construct
and sustain the norm. Accordingly, knots of resistance and social 
transformation
are generated from these different positions reflecting different forms of
labor, different ways of living, different views of the world and differing
desires. Departing from such fragmented subject positions we would like 
to open
up a discussion about the possibilities and limitations of and 
strategies for
creating more equal and inclusive social relations. Inclusion involves 
changing
these social ordering principles by deconstructing the norms that 
nourish the
production of social hierarchies without constructing new exclusive norms.
Equality does not refer to sameness but to the acceptance and negotiation of
differences that can be articulated in dialogic processes. To strive for
equality in social relations involves the creation of the conditions 
that would
allow everyone to take part in the process of social change, from her own
particular social context.


Constructing social change

Dialogic processes for change in a world that is not manageable cannot 
flourish
when one departs from the concept and practice of 'directing change'.
'Vanguardism' is no valid option for a participatory collective process.
Therefore, we would like to speak about constructing change, which 
refers to a
collective participative process that involves the articulation of 
differences
by creating permeability and mutual contamination between different 
struggles
and ideas.


CASA 2006: Constructing social change

CASA 2006 will be centered on four interrelated strategies for social
transformation, focusing on a different strategy each day. These are: 
desires
and utopia, art, knowledge, and direct action. All these themes can -and
hopefully will- be discussed from many different angles.
Possible questions are (but should not be limited to):


**Desire and utopia

How does desire relate to social change? How can reflections on our own 
desires
for change and its implications be developed? Can desire be changed or 
directed?
What is the role of desire in research? Can desires for alternatives help to
shape an effective research strategy? What is the role of utopian 
writing for
the stimulation of social change? What can be considered as utopian 
movements?
What are the utopian aspects of social movements and knowledge construction?


**Art

How can art contribute to emancipatory change? Is art merely reflecting 
social
change, or can it be transformative in itself? How are art, knowledge 
and desire
interrelated? How should we imagine the agency and autonomy of art in 
the age of
global culture industries? Can art be a form of direct action? In what 
way is
art related to the social? What is the role of the artist, and what is 
the role
of the public in both the production and experience of an artwork? How 
can we
discuss social responsibility of the artists? **Knowledge In what ways can
knowledge be used for social change towards more inclusiveness and 
emancipation?
Which agents or parameters determine different types, modes and sites of
knowledge production and transmission, knowledge hierarchies, the 
organization
of knowledge and of academia? What alternatives are available concerning the
production, distribution/sharing and use of knowledge? What is the role of
education in processes of transformation? **Direct Action What kind of
interruptions and interventions are useful for reaching emancipatory
transformation? How and by whom are direct action interventions carried 
out and
to what ends? What kind of knowledge is produced by direct action? Can 
direct
action also be used for knowledge construction and the interruption of 
hegemonic
academic practices? Can we talk about "aesthetics" of direct action as a 
way of
politicizing and mobilizing aesthetic experience? **Participation The 
format of
the CASA meeting is as crucial as its content. We want to ask all of you to
engage in a construction of interactive spaces that contribute to 
constructing
emancipatory change that is inclusive.

Interactivity, here, means acknowledging that knowledge construction and
knowledge transmission are not one-directional but rather collective 
processes.
Thus participants of all kinds (presenters, discussants, facilitators, 
technical
assistants, and organizers) should actively engage in collaborative 
processes
rather than in a mere conveying of knowledge. We are open to alternative 
formats
- from workshops to performances - that would open spaces for 
participation and
collective production.

Proposals for contributions within the four outlined topics are very 
welcome and
can be submitted until April 1, 2006.

For further questions, contributions or participation please mailto:
info@casa.manifestor.org

Website: http://www.casa.manifestor.org

CASA c/o ASCA
Oude Turfmarkt 145, room 008
1012 GC Amsterdam
The Netherlands

Tel.: +31 20 525 3874
Email: info@casa.manifestor.org