Resistance and Knowledge Production: Social Movements as Producers of Theory and Praxis

Drawing on fieldwork with Brazil’s Movimento dos Atingidos por Barragens (MAB), the author argues that MAB’s struggle is not just around those affected by dam projects; rather it is a part of a larger “alter-globalization” project. The author posits that MAB is not simply a social movement actor but a producer of knowledge that articulates theory and praxis resisting the larger hegemonic imperialist system. In this paper the following questions are explored: What can academia learn from social movements? How do scholars produce research that does not reinforce power hierarchies? And how do we create collaborative research?