ESSAY
The Revitalization of Science for the People
Calvin Wu and Edward Millar
Pages 91-110| Published online: 05 Nov 2023
Wu, Calvin and Edward Millar. 2023. “The Revitalization of Science for the People.” Marxism & Sciences 2(2): 91–110. https://doi.org/10.56063/MS.2310.02206
ABSTRACT
Inspired by earlier generations of Marxist scientists, Science for the People (1969–1989) became synonymous with the radical science movement in the United States, which emphasized the class nature and ideology of knowledge production, and organized scientists toward anti-capitalist struggles. In 2015, the organization and publication were revitalized, under a very different sociopolitical context, by a new generation of science workers. What are the historical continuity and points of departure? What challenges were presented to the activists of the 1970s from which we can draw lessons to build our present movement? What have the radicals across generations achieved and what is left to be done? As workers in science, pupils in the science of science, and as organizers of Science for the People, we offer the necessary self-critique in order to refine the vision, strategy, and plans of action to collectively tackle the pressing issues in science and society of our time.
KEYWORDS: Radical science, science for the people, labor, science activism, new left, social relations of science, science-based social movements.
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