Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin - RMZ

De- and postcolonial works argue to analyse the colonial legacies and the continuing dominance of knowledge production in the Global North. In my dissertation, I examine the making of knowledge and careers by social scientists in the anglophone Caribbean to understand how social sciences are produced in post-colonial contexts. I employ a case study of social sciences and scientists at the regional University of the West Indies (campus in Jamaica, Trinidad and Barbados) and conducted in-depth interviews with senior scholars to learn about their publishing, teaching, research and career practices. My talk will focus on the theorisation of my interview partners' records about the complex strategies they engage in negotiating their position in a marginalised region while participating in global knowledge production. I am proposing an analytical model of negotiation zones that theorises their social knowledge and career-making practices. The notion of negotiation – drawing on S. Hall – thereby underlines the relationality and situatedness of knowledge-making practices in power structures, and the concept of zones – building on M.L. Pratt, P. Galison – tries to capture the different areas of scholarly life and identity. Distinguishing four zones of knowledge-making practices - public outreach, disciplines, publishing, and teaching - I highlight in which areas knowledge production in marginalised, formerly colonised spaces is negotiated.

For registration: rmz-koordination@hu-berlin.de