DIE ROL VAN TAALAKTIVISME BY DIE HERWAARDERING VAN ...

strategieë, taktieke, middele en gevolge, ideologiese bevestigings, deurlopende
toewyding tot die stryd en bewustelike betrokkenheid by die rigting waarin beweeg word.
Al hierdie praktiese aktiwiteite behels in ’n groot mate teoretisering, maar mag nie deur
navorsers gemonopoliseer word nie. Boudourides redeneer dat grondvlakaktiviste, in die
plekke waar hulle betrokke is, in werklikheid ook teorie genereer (op verskillende vlakke
van abstraksie en verfyning). Hierdie teorieë moet die nodige erkenning kry en navorsers
moet dus daarna strewe om dit in die tradisionele wetenskap te integreer. Blomley
(1994:31) sluit sy bespreking van die rol van akademici soos volg af:
“... I am still left with a search for an alternative model, one that navigates
between the opposed perils of academic elitism and political
disengagement. How can we contribute to and learn from progressive
struggles without reinforcing the hierarchies of privilege, silencing those
with whom we work? What do grass roots activists stand to lose from such
an exchange? Does my status and economic power necessarily create
distance? Is our role that of catalyst, facilitator, or student? How much of
my angst entails a quest for self-validation or ‘holier than-thou status’?
how much of ourselves are we willing to put on the line, given an
institutional system that rewards docility and obedience?”
Rice (2009:1) beklemtoon dat daar wedersydse erkenning tussen linguiste en grondvlak
taalaktiviste moet wees ten einde sukses te behaal. Sy stel dit soos volg: “It takes a
community of people to revitalize an Indigenous language, and in order for linguists and
language activists to truly work together, general principles such as relationships, respect,
reciprocity and recognition are critical”.
Blomley (1994:29) huldig die siening dat progressiewe aktivisme en die akademie meer
gedebatteer moet word. Volgens hom kan een van die redes vir die stilte wees omdat baie
progressiewe akademici glo dat aktivistiese werk nie regtig intellektuele werk is nie. “If
people engage in external struggle, they do so on their own time as citizens”. Sommige
universiteite bestempel aktivistiese betrokkenheid van akademici, volgens Blomley, bloot
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