Democratization and Struggles Against Injustice: A Pragmatist Approach to the Epistemic Practices of Social Movements(Collective Studies in Knowledge and Society)

In the specialized literature as well as in the eyes of regular citizens, social movements are often considered to be actors of democratization. Among other things, social movements criticize existing deficits in democratic systems, they promote practices of deliberation and enact non-hierarchical structures that challenge existing democratic institutions. Very often, these challenges emerge from the context of struggle against unjust situations involving social exclusion, economic inequalities or the violation of fundamental rights. Democracy and the Struggle Against Injustice draws on the insights of one of the greatest American Philosophers John Dewey as well as on some central intuitions of Frankfurt School Critical Theory in order to account for the connection between the democratic potential of social movements and their capacity to articulate injustice and promote just social relations. Particularly, it develops the idea that this double capacity can be explained by introduction of the pragmatist notion of experimental inquiry into the analysis of the epistemic practices of the mobilized. By introducing in a unique way pragmatist epistemology to the study of social movements, Democracy and the Struggle Against Injustice substantially contributes to account for their emancipatory potentials.

Table of Contents:
Introduction: From Massive Evictions to Deepening Democracy PART I Chapter 1: The Two Values of Democracy Chapter 2: Axel Honneth: Struggle for Recognition and Democratic Advancement Chapter 3: John Dewey: The Political Potential of Democracy's Epistemic Dimension PART II Chapter 4: From Contents to Practices: Points of Departure Chapter 5: The Double Counter-Hegemonic Potential of Experimentalist Practices Chapter 6: Experimental Epistemic Practices in Social Movements PART III Chapter 7: Consciousness-Rising Meetings as Experimental Inquiries Chapter 8: Articulating a Sense of Powers: An Expressivist Reading of Dewey's Theory of Social Struggles Conclusions Bibliography

About the Author :
Justo Serrano Zamora is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Groningen.

Review :
Just Serrano Zamora’s book offers a fresh insight into democratic theory that blends empirical investigation of social movements with a rigorous theoretical reconstruction of the concept of democracy. Serrano Zamora’s theory unfolds at the crossroad of pragmatism and critical theory, which he masterfully brings to a new level of theoretical synthesis. Drawing on rich empirical material and on Dewey’s democratic theory, Just Serrano Zamora shows struggles for social justice in a new light: as processes for the democratic articulation of political demands. He convincingly argues that these are signs of hope for deepened democratic practices, with the potential of reviving our understanding of democracy. Required reading for anyone who needs evidence of the contemporary relevance of Dewey’s ideas on democracy and epistemology in political theory, in particular critical social theory, and understanding and appreciating the potential of today’s social movements in deepening democracy.