The authors map the chronological timeline of the social movement through the findings and testimonies of engaged scholars who have built on previous work from one generation to the next. The narrative explores historical developments from a modern context and, through rigorous research, unearths new insights about the struggle faced by individual scholars taking on entrenched interests.
Embedded in the narrative is the crucial role that Cornell had in seeding the development of rural sociological research at the University of California. Scholars Orville Thompson, Ph.D ’54; Isao Fujimoto, Ph.D. ’10 (who was awarded his doctorate 50 years after he left Cornell); and Dean MacCannell, M.S. ’66, Ph.D. ’68, were instrumental in launching the Applied Behavior Sciences department at UC Davis during the student movement of the 1960s and 70s.
“There’s a rich history of politically engaged scholarship conducted both by community leaders and academic professionals that our book helps to illuminate,” Peters said. “We have a great deal to learn from their work and experiences.”
“In the Struggle” demonstrates what is possible when scholars engage in the democratic process, Peters said. The embrace of activism transforms theory into practice, ideas into active engagement, and hypotheses into social and political change, he said.
“Our book is an invitation to get in the fight – or to start one,” said O’Connell, who studied under Peters while earning his doctorate in education from Cornell. “At this moment of existential crises, when people are struggling to understand, resist and transform the structures that oppress them, our book is a guidebook to action and ammunition for the battles before us.”
This story first appeared in the Cornell Chronicle.