The social class struggles concept with an interdisciplinary approach: a paramount concept for research in library and information science (LIS)

Muela-Meza, Zapopan Martín The social class struggles concept with an interdisciplinary approach: a paramount concept for research in library and information science (LIS). Crítica Bibliotecológica: Revista de las Ciencias de la Información Documental (Library and Information Science Critique: Journal of the Sciences of Information Recorded in Documents), 2010, vol. 3, n. 1, pp. 8-36. [Journal article (Paginated)]

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English abstract

This paper analyses the social class struggles concept with an interdisciplinary approach to be used by theorists and practitioners of library and information science (LIS). This concept emerged as part of the theoretical framework employed by the author in his doctoral thesis (Muela-Meza, 2010): An Application of Community Profiling to Analyse Community Information Needs, and Providers: Perceptions from the People of the Broomhall Neighbourhood of Sheffield, UK. This concept is complemented from philosophy (Marx and Engels, [1848] 1976a), and the natural sciences (Hauser, 2006; Sagan and Druyan, 1992), and it served the author to understand better the bigger dimensions of the underlying issues behind social classes and human conflicts. It also served to understand better the contradictions between people (e.g. LIS users with contradictory and mutually exclusive information needs to be provided by libraries and other institutions of information recorded in documents), and how these intensify when these are interrelated with the social class they belong to (Muela-Meza, 2007). This paper also criticises some competing views whose proponents by pretending fallaciously and deceitfully to deny the presence of social class divides in society, such as those rhetorical ploys of post-modernism that propose capitalist-class-driven ideologues of “community cohesion” based on “social capital” (Putnam, 1999). It shows evidence of how those followers (e.g. Pateman, 2006; Contreras Contreras, 2004; Bryson, Usherwood and Proctor, 2003) of capitalist-class ideologues, by doing so they aligned their discourse to that of dominance hierarchies and hegemony against working class people, in LIS and other sciences, and the humanities. It also criticises the postmodern pseudoscience because it pretends to undermine the logical rationality fundamental in LIS and all other sciences. It recommends that LIS theorists and practitioners employ the social class struggles concept as configured here in order to understand better contradictions, conflicts, and struggles within LIS theory and practice, and also to search for broader epistemological aims such as justice and wisdom (Fleissner and Hofkirchner, 1998), concealed by the capitalist or bourgeois and middle classes for their benefit against working class.

Spanish abstract

Este trabajo analiza el concepto lucha de clases sociales con un acercamiento interdisciplinario para ser empleado por teóricos y practicantes de la bibliotecología y ciencia de la información. Este concepto surgió como parte del marco teórico utilizado por el autor en su tesis doctoral (Muela-Meza, 2010): Una aplicación del perfilado de la comunidad para analizar las necesidades y proveedores comunitarios de información: percepciones de la gente del Barrio Broomhall de Sheffield, Reino Unido. Este concepto es complementado de la filosofía (Marx and Engels, [1848] 1976a), y de las ciencias naturales (Hauser, 2006; Sagan and Druyan, 1992), y le sirvió al autor a entender mejor las dimensiones más amplias de las cuestiones controvertidas subyacentes detrás de las clases sociales y conflictos humanos. También le sirvió para entender mejor las contradicciones entre la gente (e.g. usuarios de bibliotecas con necesidades de información contradictorias y mutuamente excluyentes para ser satisfechas por bibliotecas y otras instituciones de información documental), y cómo éstas se intensifican cuando son interrelacionadas con la clase social a la que pertenecen (Muela-Meza, 2007). Este artículo también critica algunas opiniones contrastantes cuyos partidarios al pretender falaz y engañosamente negar la presencia de divisiones de la sociedad en clases sociales, tales como esas estratagemas retóricas del postmodernismo que proponen los ideólogos de la clase capitalista o burguesa como la “cohesión de la comunidad” basada en el “capital social” (Putnam, 1999). Muestra evidencia de cómo esos seguidores (e.g. Pateman, 2006; Contreras Contreras, 2004; Bryson, Usherwood and Proctor, 2003) de la clase capitalista o burguesa, al hacer eso alinearon su discurso al de las jerarquías de dominación y hegemonía contra la gente de la clase trabajadora, en bibliotecología y otras ciencias sociales, y en las humanidades. También critica la pseudociencia del postmodernismo porque pretende socavar la lógica racional fundamental en la bibliotecología y todas las demás ciencias. Recomienda que los teóricos y practicantes de la bibliotecología empleen el concepto de la lucha de clases sociales como fue configurado aquí para entender mejor las contradicciones, conflictos, y luchas dentro de la teoría y práctica de la bibliotecología, y también para buscar objetivos epistemológicos más amplios tales como la justicia y la sabiduría (Fleissner and Hofkirchner, 1998), ocultado por las clases capitalista o burguesa y media para su beneficio contra la clase trabajadora.

Item type: Journal article (Paginated)
Keywords: [Keywords] Sciences of Information Recorded in Documents; Library and Information Science (LIS) -- Epistemology; LIS -- Methodology; social class; social class struggles; dominance hierarchies; submission hierarchies; hegemony; critical and sceptical thinking; logical fallacies; rhetorical ploys. [Palabras clave] Ciencias de la información documental; Bibliotecología y ciencias de la información – Epistemology; Bibliotecología y ciencias de la información documental – metodología; clase social; lucha de clases sociales; jerarquías de dominación; jerarquías de sumisión; hegemonía; pensamiento crítico y escéptico; falacias lógicas; estratagemas retóricas.
Subjects: A. Theoretical and general aspects of libraries and information. > AC. Relationship of LIS with other fields .
A. Theoretical and general aspects of libraries and information. > AA. Library and information science as a field.
B. Information use and sociology of information > BC. Information in society.
A. Theoretical and general aspects of libraries and information.
A. Theoretical and general aspects of libraries and information. > AB. Information theory and library theory.
Depositing user: Zapopan Martín Muela-Meza
Date deposited: 17 Nov 2010
Last modified: 27 Feb 2015 08:40
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10760/15091

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