Interim Report of the CSS Working Group "Doing Theory – From Where and What For? A Backpackers’ Guide to Knowledge Production"

6 March 2025, by CSS

Photo: Andrey (akk_rus) via flickr

What can individual experiences and reflections teach us about how we critically engage with epistemic knowledge communities in our academic research? Following Bleiker and Brigg (2010), we use the concept of academics as 'knowledge entrepreneurs' and the idea of 'pre-academic' knowledge (by examining the impact of travel on those who later decided to pursue an academic career) and propose a conceptual move towards understanding academic knowledge production from the perspective of a 'backpacker'. The working group focuses on approaches that consider personal experiences in the evaluation of knowledge production practices. The aim is addressing the question of knowledge production with the topic of global connectivity and learning through international exchange between epistemic knowledge communities.

Were the objectives of the working group achieved or have the objectives changed during the funding period?

The overall objective has not changed, but the way in which the goal is to be achieved. This has resulted in particular from a change in the team. The exchange on the question of knowledge production through global exchange had to be changed to the effect that the initially planned podcast format could no longer be carried out. In cooperation with the DVPW Norms Research Group, which also deals with the question of knowledge production, there will now be a workshop from May 14-16, 2025. Among other things, a public keynote with Professor Navnita Behera, University of New Dehli, is being planned. She will speak on the topic of knowledge production and norms research from a non-Western perspective.

What is the significance of the interim results of the Working Group for research in this field?

As an important interim result, Antje Wiener has written a CSS Working Paper entitled: “Doing Theory - From Where and What For? A Backpackers' Guide to Knowledge Production” for submission to the CSS in March 2025. In addition, the article “What's in a Norm? The Contravening Dynamics of Climate Justice” written by Antje Wiener and Jan Wilkens (together with Tobias Zumbrägel) has been accepted to the review process by the journal Review of International Studies.

What is the significance of the interim results for the sustainable development of society?

The significance of the work lies primarily on critical reflection within scientific debates. This is especially important for the social-scientific climate research in particular, as further perspectives on knowledge are shown.

What is the future of the working group? What can we look forward to?

Next step is the workshop in May, as described above. News will follow soon.

You can find out more about the Working Group here.