Multi-sector nature, subjects and knowledge in political training workshops in popular movements

Abstract

Introduction

The multi-sector nature of popular movements, despite its relevance, has been insufficiently researched in the specialized literature in terms of the internal impacts on the different spaces and movements that are part of the militant life. The political training workshops are an analyzer of the relations between the epistemic dimension and the multi-sector nature within popular movements.

Main objective

To this end, this article is aimed at interpreting the epistemic dimension of political training workshops of popular movements in Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area, Argentina. Two workshops aimed to grassroots activists, that have adopted a textual form, are analyzed considering its multi-sector nature.

Method

A qualitative research was held based on a multiple-case study. The data were collected bt means of a triangulation of qualitative methods: participant observation in workshops and in-depth interviews to the participants.

Results

It was found different subjective significations and appropriations regarding their contributions of knowledge and their conceptions on subjects of knowledge, in accordance to the type of militant involved in the workshops: coordinators, support militants and, finally, militants from popular neighborhoods and middle-class academic militants that made up the target group.

Conclusions

The analysis of the multi-sector nature is relevant to highlight the challenge entailed for popular movements to construct a collective project of social transformation that takes into account the plurality of knowledge and militant people.