[Sigcrit-l] Bohm article

[Ron Day]

The following article, on theory and practice in
organizations/organizational studies and in regard to new social movements,
by Steffen Bohm, may be of interest to people on the SIG-CRIT List and
others.  Bohm is quite good. It is available at the _Ephermera_ website,
v.2, no. 4, given below.  The original notice for it was posted on Nettime.

best, Ron Day

http://www.ephemeraweb.org/

'Movements of Theory and Practice'
by Steffen Bohm

Abstract:
In spite of Lenin's claim that "without revolutionary theory there can
be no revolutionary movement" it has become increasingly fashionable
to argue against theory and celebrate practice. This can be clearly
observed in an academic field such as organisation studies which is
characterised by increasing pressures to be less theoretically
abstract and more practically relevant for private and public
management. In this paper I will defend theory against the attacks
from 'common sense' practice by developing the concept of theoretical
practice, which highlights the close interconnectedness between theory
and practice but also leaves room for their relative autonomy from
each other. This theoretical conception is practiced by closely
engaging with the so-called 'movement' of anti-capitalist protesters
and globalisation critics whose most recent event was the European
Social Forum (ESF) that took place in Florence, Italy, in November
2002. I will argue that in relation to theory and practice the ESF
points towards three notions: first, protest for radical social change
is a theoretical practice; second, the theoretical practice of radical
collective protest can be the source of joy; and third, theoretical
practice is characterised by movements between multiplicity and unity.
Overall then this paper is a call for the practice of theory in
organisation studies (and in life in general), a theory that aims at
interrogating and concretely effecting social organisation and
contributes to a project of radical change.



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"l'ora del tempo e la dolce stagione" (Dante, Inferno, Canto I)

Ronald Day,
Assistant Professor
Library and Information Science Program
Wayne State University
ronday at wayne.edu
http://www.lisp.wayne.edu/~ai2398