Collaborative Research: Changing Structures of Knowledge and Relevancy: Understanding the Sociology of Geographical Research on Public Space

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This collaborative research examines the ways in which ideas and knowledge develop, move between social and academic practices, and become relevant for different social agents in different social contexts. It addresses questions such as, 'How does social science research reflect and influence social debates?' and 'How do social debates reflect and influence social science research?' The project begins from the assumption that the flow of ideas between academic researchers and other social agents continually transforms the knowledge in question, making it more or less relevant. 'Relevance' is defined as a relationship between lived experience (of both academic and other agents) and the social, political, and individual uses of knowledge. The PIs will 1) analyze the geographical literature on public space (performing both content and citation analyses); 2) interview academic public space researchers about academic and social influences on and goals of their public space research; 3) examine specific public space controversies in four US cities; and 4) interview people directly involved in those controversies about their public space knowledge, the importance (or lack of importance) of geographical research on public space. From this information base, the patterns of influence and relevancy within and between academic researchers and social agents will be examined.