Maíra Baumgarten

Society and knowlege: order, chaos, and complexity

The paradigm of modern science, founded on reason, on the division/analysis and on the motto ?knowing for controlling? has reduced problems and their answers...

Conhecimentos e redes: produção e apropriação de C&T

The changes that accompany the formation of increasingly globalized collectives and the concomitant development of information and communication technologies are strategic elements in the transformation of these collectives’ conditions to produce knowledge and information. Due to the importance given to the networks of knowledge production, dissemination and appropriation, it has become strategic to consider those networks, as well as the possibilities and implications that they bring to the forms of economic, social and cultural life, especially to the possibilities of interdisciplinary, transdisciplinary and sectorial activities. The purpose here is to present a series of debates on this subject, which refers to the relationship between the production of science, technology, innovation and living conditions, and the need for an extension of the social debate on technoscience, its construction, uses, and the possibilities for the inclusion of new actors in this debate.

Contribuições da Sociologia na América Latina à imaginação sociológica: análise, crítica e compromisso social

O artigo aborda o papel desempenhado pela Sociologia na analise dos processos de transformacao das sociedades latino-americanas, no acompanhamento do processo de construcao do Estado e da Nacao, na problematizacao das questoes sociais na America Latina. Sao analisados seis periodos na Sociologia na America Latina e no Caribe: I) a heranca intelectual da Sociologia ; II) a sociologia da catedra; III) O periodo da “Sociologia Cientifica” e a configuracao da “Sociologia Critica”; IV) a crise institucional, a consolidacao da “Sociologia Critica” e a diversificacao da sociologia; V) a sociologia do autoritarismo, da democracia e da exclusao; VI) a consolidacao institucional e a mundializacao da sociologia da America Latina (desde o ano de 2000), podendo-se afirmar que os tracos distintivos do saber sociologico no continente foram: o internacionalismo, o hibridismo, a abordagem critica dos processos e conflitos das sociedades latino-americanas e o compromisso social do sociologo.

As epistemologias do sul num mundo fora do mapa

A atual criseglobal e a hegemonia continuada dos padroes economicos, sociais, culturais e politicos que conduziram o mundo a este momento historico tem sustentado um discurso de ausencia de alternativas, frequentemente envolto num pessimismo conformado. As Epistemologias do Sul sao uma proposta de expansao da imaginacao politica para la da exaustao intelectual e politica do Norte global, traduzida na incapacidade de enfrentar os desafios deste seculo, que ampliamas possibilidades de repensar o mundo a partir de saberes e praticas do Sul Global edesenhamnovos mapas onde cabe o que foi excluido por uma historia de epistemicidio.

A prática científica na "era do conhecimento": metodologia e transdisciplinaridade

The double conditioning between the society and the scientific and technological knowledge refers to the strategic place of knowledge in the economy of capitalist society, as well as in the functioning of the state and the resolution of social issues. On the other hand, the scientific and technological development has also negative aspects that result in serious problems and crises. The social sciences currently face the challenge of developing concepts and theories to serve as tools to understand and act on processes that have a strong impact on everyday life. The perspective of complexity, with its dialogues and inter- and transdisciplinary practices, seems like a good way to deal with the uncertainties of the contemporary world, which is certainly complex. This paper presents part of the debate on current scientific practice.