The idea of public sociology, as introduced by Michael Burawoy, was inspired by the sociological practice in South Africa known as ‘critical engagement’. This volume explores the evolution of critical engagement before and after Burawoy’s visit to South Africa in the 1990s and offers a Southern critique of his model of public sociology.
Involving four generations of researchers from the Global South, the authors provide a multifaceted exploration of the formation of new knowledge through research practices of co-production.
Tracing the historical development of ‘critical engagement’ from a Global South perspective, the book deftly weaves a bridge between the debates on public sociology and decolonial frameworks.
were often interdicted from meetings and even faced serious penalties through cost orders granted to the chiefs by the courts. This raised fears among marginalized rural residents about challenging their chiefs and promoted a general lack of faith in the country’s justice system ( Mnwana, 2014 ). In such a polarized and complex environment, distrust and attempts to control or influence the researcher came as no surprise. But such challenges also brought opportunities for critical engagement. On critical engagement and analytical rootedness The complex balance
