Exploring the meanings of professional activism

ABSTRACT

There is growing recognition of the relevance of political mobilization in educational, social and community work, particularly when working with people in situations of vulnerability. However, there is also a scarcity of research that describes and explains professionals’ political involvement and mobilization and allows them to share their activist experiences, to inspire others and legitimate this crucial dimension of their work. This qualitative study explores the meanings of “professional activism” for professionals working in Portugal, who are recognized for developing relevant political work related to their profession. A net of themes – Taking Sides, Utopian Ideal, Sense of (In)Justice and Praxis – portrays professional activism as a praxis that promotes and is guided by a sense of (in)justice, which demands a positioning in defense of the people with whom professionals work, leading to interventions oriented by/for a utopian ideal of transformation.

KEYWORDS:

• Activism
• professional activism
• advocacy
• educational/social/community intervention

Acknowledgments

The authors thank all the participants in the study.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) and by the European Social Fund, under the Human Capital Operational Programme (POCH) from Portugal 2020 Programme [grant no. PD/BD/135472/2017]; and by the Portuguese Government, through the FCT, under CIIE’s multi-annual funding [grants no. UIDB/00167/2020 and UIDP/00167/2020].