SOCIAL PROBLEMS OR SOCIAL SOLUTIONS? THE ROLE OF …

SOCIAL PROBLEMS OR SOCIAL SOLUTIONS? THE ROLE OF PUBLIC SOCIOLOGY IN ADDRESSING CONTEMPORARY CRISES Author(s): Philip W. Nyden Source: Michigan Sociological Review, Vol. 24, RESEARCH ON POVERTY IN MICHIGAN (Fall 2010), pp. 5-18 Published by: Michigan Sociological Association Stable URL: . Accessed: 30/05/2014 10:36 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . . JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@. .

Michigan Sociological Association is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Michigan Sociological Review.



This content downloaded from 147.126.10.132 on Fri, 30 May 2014 10:36:22 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

2009 KEYNOTE ADDRESS

PhilipW. Nyden LoyolaUniversityChicago

SOCIAL PROBLEMS OR SOCIAL SOLUTIONS? THE ROLE OF PUBLIC SOCIOLOGY IN ADDRESSING

CONTEMPORARY CRISES Mosteverysociologydepartmenitn theUnitedStateshas a course entitled",Social Problems." Few,ifany,havea courseentitled"social solutions." Thisorientatio-nwhetheirn ourteachingorin ourresearch - suggestsa crisisintherelevancyofourdisciplinein solvingthemany issuesfacinglocalcommunitiers,egionso, urnationa,ndourworld. Are we tobe contenitnjustanalyzinganddescribingthemyriadofproblems facingoursociety,or are we to becomemoreengagedin workingwith othersin seekingsolutionsto theseproblems? This is at thecore of discussionasroundpublicsociologyoverthepastdecade. We shouldnotassumethatproducingqualitysociologicalresearchor being objective in our researchprecludesworkingon innovative solutionsin addressingsociety'schallenges. The same researchand analyticaslkillsthatallowus togainan understandinogfsocialproblems canbe usedtogo a stepfurtheirnexploringsolutions.We shouldnotbe satisfiedwithstudyingwhatis, but ratherbe partof the processof exploringwhatcan be. Therecertainlyis a traditionof emersionin local communitieisn sociologicalresearch.The richethnographieosf the Chicago School sociologistsin the 1920sand 1930s,thenow classic studyof Boston's NorthEnd Italian communityby HerbertGans (1965), or Robert CourtneySmith'srecentstudyofMexicanimmigrantins New YorkCity (2006) arecertainlyexamplesoftheconnectionofourfieldtoday-to-day communitlyife. Therehavebeenprominenetxamplesof sociologists gettinginvolvedin high-profilreesearchthatinformsand ultimately helpsto shapepolicy. JamesColeman'sworkon educationandDaniel

This content downloaded from 147.126.10.132 on Fri, 30 May 2014 10:36:22 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

NYDEN:SOCIAL PROBLEMS OR SOCIAL SOLUTIONS Moynihan'sworkon welfareareprominenatndcontroversiaelxamples ofsuchwork.

However,ifacademicsociologiststepawayfroman exclusivefocus on doingresearchforpublicationin peerreviewedjournals,and move towardmorepolicyworkoractivistwork,theystartwalkingontothinner ice in termsof supportfromtheir disciplineand the academic departmenttshatenforcethe standardsof thatdiscipline. Signposts markthedangers. Colleaguesraisequestionsabouthow "balanced"a researcheirs as theresearcherworkswithcommunityorganizationisn seekingsolutionsto local problems. In tenureandpromotionpolicies, departmentdso notalwaysvalue sociologicalresearchworkwithnonacademicagencies. Althougha reportto a local advocacyorganization mightultimatelbye usedtoimprovethelivesofthousandosfcommunity residentsi,t is stillthepeer-revieweadrticlepublishedin a sociological journalthatis the gold standardof our discipline. The factthatthe journalarticlemightultimatelybe readbyjust 200 fellowsociologists andnotthousandosutsideofthefieldis notseenas relevant.

This standardis establishedformallyand informalliyn interactions by graduatestudentsandjuniorfacultywithseniorcolleagues.In their formativyeearsin thedisciplineu, ntenurefdacultyaretoldto "waituntil you gettenure,"beforeyou do community-engagwedorkor anymore activistsociology. Moreoftenthannotsociologisths eedingthisadvice remaininthismorediscipline-bounadndpassivemodeaftertenure.

This historicalconservatismin the fieldoftenpushedprospective activistscholarstothemarginsofthefield. WhileJaneAddamshada workingrelationshipwithmale sociologistsat the new Universityof Chicago,thereweretimeswhenit was easierto developand carryout researchoutside the boundariesof academic sociology. Her participatoryaction researchon the causes of infantmortalityin Chicago'simmigranstlumsled to local andnationalpoliciesthatsaved thousandosflives(Deegan 1990). CommunitoyrganizerandIndustrial Areas FoundationfounderSaul Alinsky demonstratedintellectual prowessin his briefstintin the universityb,ut ultimatelyhe found workingoutsidetheconstraintosf academicdisciplinesto be a more productiveavenue when pursuingsignificantcommunitychange. Alinskywasfreeinhiscriticismofacademics.In a 1972interviewinhis

6

This content downloaded from 147.126.10.132 on Fri, 30 May 2014 10:36:22 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

MICHIGANSOCIOLOGICALREVIEW,VOL. 24 FALL2010 familiarearthystylehe remarked",Askinga sociologistto solve a problemis likeprescribinagn enemafordiarrhea."(Norden1972),

The marginalizatioonfHarvard-educatesdociologistW.E.B. DuBois is anothercase inpoint.Partiallya reflectioonfracismthroughmuchof the20thcenturyand partiallya resultof thefactthathis scholarship focusedon howto confronrtacialinequalityin theUnitedStates,DuBois has not always been part of the sociological canon presentedto undergraduataensdgraduatestudents.Thishaschangedinrecentyears, butneverthelesrseflecttshediscomforwt ithactivistresearchertshatthe fieldhasdisplayedduringmuchofitshistory.

Ratherthanfallingvictimto thesame problems-orientaepdproach forwhichI amcriticizintghedisciplineI, am suggestinga re-orientation ofthefieldto embraceengagedand activistscholarship.Since Michael Burawoy'spresidencyoftheAmericanSociologicalAssociationin 2004 andhis subsequentarticlesand speechesoutliningandpromotinpgublic sociology,the connectionof our field to non-academicworldshas receivedincreasedattentio(nBurawoy2005; Nydenetal. 2011). I am not proposingthatall sociologistsengage in public scholarshipb, ut ratherI am suggestingthat the field recognizeand embracethis orientationas one of the manyintellectualand researchapproaches availableto us. Even morespecificallyI, am focusingon thepromise andbenefitofcollaborativreesearch- a researchapproachthatinvolves non-academicpartnersat all facetsof the researchenterprisefrom conceptualizatioonf researchquestionsto thegatherinogf dataand the authorshiopfresearchoutcomes.

CollaborativeUniversity-CommuniRtyesearch Involvingnon-academicsin the researchprocessis nothingnew. The long historyof whathas variouslybeen called, actionresearch, participatorayctionresearcha,nd community-basepdarticipatorayction research,has involved cooperationamong trainedresearchersand communitmy emberisnvariousways. (Park1993;Stoeckeretal. 2003) Over thepast 35 years,myown experiencehas been shapedthrough directparticipatioinncollaborativreesearchprojectsc,oordinatioonfthe Policy ResearchActionGroup (PRAG) a Chicago-baseduniversity-

7

This content downloaded from 147.126.10.132 on Fri, 30 May 2014 10:36:22 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

NYDEN:SOCIALPROBLEMSOR SOCIALSOLUTIONS communitryesearchnetworkfrom1989 to 2004,* and,forthepast 15 years,directingtheCenterforUrbanResearchandLearning(CURL), a university-basecdollaborativeresearchcenterat Loyola University Chicago.

At theheartof all of thiscollaborativeresearchis thepremisethat knowledgeis producedbothinsideand outsidetheuniversity. It is assumedthata moreeffectivwe ay of developingthisknowledgeis to combineboth sets of knowledge. Finally,it is understoodthat combiningthesesets of knowledgenecessarilyinvolvesengagingthe producerosfbothsetsofknowledgedirectlyintheresearchprocess.

Community-baskednowledgiencludestheeverydaylivedexperience in communitieso,rganizationsg, overnmentagencies, social change movementsa,nd otherplaces outsideof universitysettings. This can includethesum-totaolf knowledgeof presentand past membersof a community-baseodrganizationt;hiscan includedetailedknowledgeof bothpastefforttso bringaboutcommunitcyhangeand perspectiveosn why advocacyinitiativesin the past have succeededor failed. It includes an awareness of complex social interactionsc,ommunity historiesa,ndindividuahl istories.

In somecases community-baskednowledgeincludesinnovativiedeas aboutsolutionsto addressproblemsfacingthecommunitoyr a servicedeliveryprogramb,utnotnecessarilyan understandinogfhoweffective these interventionhsave been. On the communityside, systematic collectionofdata,routinevaluationa,ndcomparisontsoothermodelsin othercommunitieosrorganizationas,renotalwaystopprioritiesT. here maybe an awarenessofproblembs utnotthecompleteanalyticatloolset to solvethem. In stillothercases thecommunitmy aynotbe awareof problemosrchallengesthatareaffectintghemo, rwillbe affectintghem. Some environmentahlazards or emergingdemographicshiftsare examplesoftwosuchloomingchallenges.

Universitkynowledgies acquiredbyminingexistinginformatioannd datafromsocialandnaturawl orlds. Academicsuse methodologieasnd standardesstablishedintheirrespectivfeieldsincollectingandanalyzing data. Theoreticalframeworkesxist withwhichto shape research

1MoreinformatioonnPRAG(whichis notlongeractive)is providedinNydenetal 1993andonPRAG's website,luc.edu/curl/prag.

8

This content downloaded from 147.126.10.132 on Fri, 30 May 2014 10:36:22 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

MICHIGANSOCIOLOGICALREVIEW,VOL. 24FALL2010 questionsandcompleteanalysis. Significanrtesourcesareavailableto completethisresearchwithintheuniversity.These resourcesinclude labor (facultyand students)r, esearchcenters,computersi,nformation centersa,nda collectionofexpertsin a broadvarietyof disciplinesthat canbe calleduponas needed. University-basekdnowledgealso benefits froma broad comparativeview that may involve contrastingone communitywithanother,one citywithanother,or one nationwith another.

Thiscontrool fthemeansofknowledgeproductioncan be construed in sucha way to makeus believethatuniversitieasre theplace where knowledgeis produced. Over the decades, the accumulationof researchresults,the developmentand fine-tuninogf theory,and the archiving of this knowledge into journals, annual conference proceedingsa,nd otherdiscipline-basedrepositoriesh, as createdthe impressionthatwe in academiaarethesole-producerosfknowledgew; e are theexperts.And eventhoughmuchof ourknowledgeand muchof ourinformatiohnasbeendrawnbyminingthisinformatiofnromsources outsideof theacademy,thefactthatwe have producedthereportsand haveorganizedtheknowledgeintodisciplinesh, ascometomeanthatwe in academia are the knowledgeableones. Sociologyhas been no exceptiontothistrendinclaimingexpertise.

In manydisciplinarycircleseffortast bringingnon-academicisnto researchteamsis seen as a dangerouspropositions,ince it is seen as potentiallcyompromisintghequalityofourresearch.It is fearedthatit willbias ourview. Quiteto thecontraryt,helackof involvemenbty thoseoutsideof thefieldin ourresearchendeavorsmayproduceblind spotsand oversightisn our workthatmightreducethequalityof our research. The lackofroutinecontactwithpublicsoutsidethediscipline maydrasticallyslow downour awarenessof emergingissues and our discipline'sabilityto respondto researchneeds in addressingthose issues.

Evenwherewe arenottalkingaboutdirectinvolvemenotfpublicsin theresearchprocess,theabsenceon ongoing,routinizedrelationships withpublicsis problematicin termsof gettingexistingsociological knowledgeintothehandsofpeoplewhocan use ittoinformtheirwork andcraftnewpolicies. The NationalInstituteosfHealthhavealready recognizedthatthereis a crisisin the communicatiobnetweenbasic

9

This content downloaded from 147.126.10.132 on Fri, 30 May 2014 10:36:22 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

NYDEN:SOCIAL PROBLEMS OR SOCIAL SOLUTIONS "bench"researcherasnd practitionerdseliveringhealthcare to patients. Therehasbeenas muchas a 15-yearlag inthistranslatiopnrocess,a lag thathas lifeanddeathimplications.Whilea lag in gettingsociological researchintothe handsof publicsmay not routinelyhave such dire implicationst,he lack of connectionscan delay informatiotnhatcan improve the quality of life in local communitiesor increase organizationaelfficienciyn committinrgesourcesto educationalh, ealth, employmenotr, othersectorswheretheycan havethemostimpact.

The separationofuniversitfyromcommunitkynowledgereducesthe qualityofresearchanditsimpact. Itrestricttshedifferenpterspectives thatcanbe utilizedinunderstandinisgsues. In ourownresearchm, any a timecommunitypartnerssee patternsin the data thatwe as PhD sociologistsdo not see. Our separationfromcommunityknowledge mayblindus fromexistingpracticesin local communitietshatmightbe thebasis forsolutionsto pressingproblems. These are practicesthat maynotbe on theradarscreenofregionalornationapl olicy-makerbs,ut whichcould be documentedand communicatedif therewere better linkagesbetweensociologistasndcommunitlyeadersandmembers.

The CenterforUrban Researchand Learning The Loyola UniversityChicago Centerfor Urban Research and Learning(CURL) was createdexplicitlyto close the gap between universityand communityin theday-to-dayresearchenterprisien the university.Growingoutofthesuccessofa citywidepartnershiapmong multipleuniversitieasnd manymorecommunity-baseodrganizations, advocacygroups,andothernon-profitCsU, RL was createdat Loyola in 1996as an interdisciplinacreyntertoworkcloselywitha broadrangeof communitpyartners.Whilethesociologydepartmenitt,sfacultya,ndits studenths ave been well representeidn thecenter'swork,at thesame timeCURL hasbrokendownboundariebsetweendepartments. Whenthecommunitiys involvedinconceptualizinagndshapingnew researchprojects,they do not generallydefine themselvesas a "sociological,""psychological,""business,"or "legal" researchproject. The processproducesresearchprojectsthatreflectheholisticview of communitieasnd communityorganizations. The holisticview of communitpyartnerns aturallycreatesinterdisciplinapryrojects. This processhas producedinterdisciplinarreysearchwhereyearsof university

10

This content downloaded from 147.126.10.132 on Fri, 30 May 2014 10:36:22 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

MICHIGANSOCIOLOGICALREVIEW,VOL. 24 FALL2010 presidentsp,rovosts,and deans have had difficultiyn gettingstronger workingrelationshipascrossdisciplines.Insideuniversitiems oreoften thannotdisciplinesarereferretdoas "academicsilos."

CURL involvescommunitpyartnerast all stagesof researchf, rom theconceptualizatioannd methodologydesignto data collection,data analysis,reportwritinga,nd disseminatioonf results. In essence,we have addedchairsat the"researchtable"and have invitedcommunity partnertsojoin us. A majorassetofacademiclifeis theopportunittyo bounceideas offofcolleaguesin informaclonversationisn thehallway or at moreformabl rown-baglunches,seminarso,r conferences. New researchemergesout of these conversationsand emergingresearch projectsget fine-tuned. Colleagues can provideguidanceon past researchwithwhichyoumaynotbe familiart;heymaysuggestbetter, moreeffectivew,aysofdesigningsurveysi,nterviewquestionsa,ndother methodologicatlools. Theyalso maybe brutallyhonestand suggest otheravenueswheretheysee weaknesses.

Community-basecdolleagues are capable of showingthe same criticael ye. Indeed,one ofthekeyskillsofmanycommunitlyeaders andcommunitoyrganizeriss theabilityto questionthestatusquo orthe waythings"havealwaysbeendone"in a governmenatgency. While theirknowledgebase may not the same as researcherswithinthe academy,communityleaders have complementarpyerspectivesand experiencesthatcan improvethe qualityof manyresearchprojects. Theyalso maybe familiarwithpastresearchor pastinitiativeisn their communitieosr theirorganizationws ithwhichthe researcheris not familiar. As is thecase withfacultycolleagues,communitypartners alsohavetheabilitytobe brutallyhonest.

A Case Studyin CollaborativeResearch:CreatingStableDiverse Communities

A closerexaminationof a collaborativreesearchprojectfocusingon whatproducesstable,raciallyand ethnicallydiversecommunitiecsan serveas an illustrationof thiscommunity-engagaepdproachand the value of its outcomes. This particularprojectwas startedin themid1990sbythemulti-universPitoylicyResearchandActionGroupandwas completedwithassistancefromCURL. Itgrewoutofa seriesof"think tank"meetingsamonga workinggroupof morethan20 academics,

11

This content downloaded from 147.126.10.132 on Fri, 30 May 2014 10:36:22 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

 ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download