Critical public scholarship? Race and ethnic studies in the public sphere

My contribution to the debate on the contemporary challenges of race and ethnic studies is concentred with exploring some of the links between knowledge and politics. Some of the concerns of race and ethnic studies have their roots in social movements and social justice struggles.  The question of what the relationship of sociology as a social science is or should be in relation to such movements remains divided between critical and more detached visions of scholarship.  Drawing on various examples of contested debates about race and racism in the public sphere – such as debates about institutional racism and multiculture/multiculturalism – I seek to tackle questions of what scholars can contribute to the formulation and communication of such ideas and debates.  I aim to show that while terminological debates are important, they run the risk of becoming a blind alley if they fail to engage beyond scholarly communities; and that progress in a more than scholarly vein depends upon building coalitions and taking a pragmatic approach to issues and politics. While my analysis cannot produce any simple answers as to ‘how to’ proceed, it aims to provide the basis for a more nuanced approach for considering how academic research on race and ethnic studies can advance public debates.