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NEW COLLABORATIVE FORMS OF DOING RESEARCH 103

specialists, engaging in a new type of interac- International Sociology Association Research
tion in which lay citizens contribute to the Committee Conference held in Ottawa in the
knowledge of an illness so that they impart to summer of 2004.
specialists the capacity at least to have a
better understanding of its complexities. In
this case, interested groups show how NOTES
research must be conducted, even demanding
that specialists explore particular lines of
1 I wish to acknowledge the contribution of Juan
research that they have uncovered. Carlos Escalante and Carlos Rodríguez in compiling
These examples of ‘research at the service and revising the bibliography.
of mankind’ are in consonance with an alter- 2 The official Science and Technology Plan 2005–
native definition of development, not neces- 2030 points to the need for a revolutionary change
that leads to a ‘new scientific culture.’ It implies
sarily associated with ‘growth.’ Development
going from a scientific culture of ‘fragmented,
is not a matter of what one has, but of what individualized, parceled, disciplinary, and linear’
one does with what one has. Development knowledge to a ‘participative, dialogic, collectively
‘is the desire and ability to use what is avail- organized, transdisciplinary, and integral’ knowledge
able to continuously improve the quality of (Ávalos, personal communication, 2006).
3 ‘La Laguna’ or ‘Comarca Lagunera’ is a region
life. This ability cannot be given to others
in the north of Mexico embodying part of the
even by those who have it. It must be devel- Coahuila and Durango states.
oped in and for oneself’(Ackoff, 1974: 221-2). 4 ‘Socialization’ is used here in its current sense in
This definition is suitable for social contexts Spanish. This entails the sharing of knowledge one
enduring rejection and scarcities to engage has and the enriching of such knowledge through
the participation in exchanges among community
in research projects relevant to some seg-
members.
ments of society, with a clearly defined felt
need. Projects like those described in
this section give a sense of progress in
the right direction, that is, toward genuine REFERENCES
development.
In conclusion, at the dawn of the twenty- Ackoff, R. L. (1974) Redesigning the Future.
first century, a renovated and perhaps idealis- NY: John Wiley & Sons.
Albrow, Martin and King Elizabeth (1990)
tic concern of putting science at the service
Globalization, Knowledge and Society: Readings
of humanity’s immediate needs is gradually
from International Sociology. London: Sage.
emerging, materializing in concrete research
Anderson, S. and Cavanagh, J. (1997) ‘World
projects. We are before new forms of doing
Trade Organization’, Foreign Policy
science, different from Mode 1 and Mode 2. in Focus, 2(14), www.fpif.org, consulted
The major feature of this new mode is a gen- August 8, 2006.
uine concern for solving problems endured Ávalos, I. (2006) El saldo del Programa de
by specific segments of society. We call it Agendas, in M. Albornoz and C. Alfaraz (eds.)
‘Mode 3’ to differentiate it from the modes Redes de conocimiento: construcción,
defined by Gibbons et al. Indeed, the dinámica y gestión. Buenos Aires: RICYT/
research agendas and the regional scientific UNESCO.
Ávalos, I. and Rengifo, R. (2003) ‘From Sector
communities are congruent with the ‘spirit of
to Networks: The Venezuelan CONICIT
Budapest,’ and seek to develop a science that
Research Agendas’, Technology in Society,
is at the service of those who sustain it, serv-
25(2): 183–92.
ing the interests of many, and leading to a
Bronowski, J. (1976) A Sense of the Future:
better quality of collective life. Both are vivid Essays in Natural Philosophy. Cambridge: MIT
examples of innovative forms of cooperation Press.
taking place in the early years of a new cen- Callon, M. and Rabeharisoa, V. (2003)
tury, a matter of great concern for the ‘Research “in the Wild” and the Shaping of