By: Lilliauna Hopkins, PhD Candidate and instructor at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst
The Consortium of Social Science Associations (COSSA) hosts social scientists from all disciplines once a year to flood Capitol Hill with academics and researchers to appeal to our policymakers and representatives to continue their support of the social sciences. This two-day event involves training, panels, logistics, and story-telling as we prepare to attend scheduled meetings with Congressional members. You team up with other advocates from the state you’re from, whether attending school there or you permanently live there, and you craft a meeting itinerary of various topics that reflect the challenges the social sciences are facing on the Hill today. As you can imagine, partisanship can affect the topics we bring to the table. A few years ago, we were simply asking for our lawmakers’ continued support of the social sciences; however, recent shifts in Washington D.C. have led to us requesting that our funding not be gutted and that previously allocated funds be released and dispersed to the appropriate organizations. In our most recent administration, I believe we can all agree that the social sciences are under attack, and we’re responsible for whatever we can do to protect our discipline from being completely abandoned.
As a recurring attendee of COSSA’s Social Science Advocacy Day, it’s genuinely a pleasure to be able to see politics in action. Whereas some of us study politics, others do politics, especially in ways that involve more interpersonal interaction, like this type of advocacy. Though our various areas of expertise are incredibly diverse and productive in their own ways, each year, I return to the Hill as a sobering reminder not to disconnect from the much needed work and resources that connect us to the communities we serve and produce research about. Do I suggest that every political scientist engage in public policy work? Of course not. However, I do recommend that each of us participate in the political processes that we rigorously study. The reality is: every piece of evidence we use and data we produce has an actual effect on a real person’s life, and we need to be reminded of the responsibility we hold as knowledge-producers in our society.
Doing political advocacy for the social sciences on the Hill is more than another yearly event to add to our attendee lists. It’s an opportunity to engage in the political processes that we become desensitized to because of our proximity. It’s a privilege to be conducting research at this level. Simultaneously, it’s a privilege to have any degree of separation from the communities and/or phenomena we study. As a first-generation college student and PhD from a working class background and small HBCU, I always dreamt of being able to learn for a living because that opportunity isn’t widely available to individuals such as myself. These topics affect real people. This funding affects real lives. The human costs of our research and its funding come with a great responsibility for each of us to consider valuable. As unfortunate as it is to see the continuous defunding of the social and behavioral sciences, I hope it’s a wake up call for each of us who engage in these fields. What’s considered as a more recent trend of defunding the social sciences is a normative reality for certain individuals, groups, and organizations. I hope that each of us sacrifices time and effort to advocate on the Hill because it opens our eyes to the hardship that’s more common for others though we might not experience it directly ourselves. This type of shared experience can produce a solidarity that our political systems cannot ignore, which has the power to unify and heal in ways that would be left undiscovered lest the circumstances allowed.
About the Author
Lilliauna Hopkins is a PhD Candidate and instructor at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. Her research interests include Black politics, American political development, democratic theory, and citizenship. She is a first-generation college student, proud HBCU alumnae, and host of Out the House Podcast. She is passionate about civic engagement, social justice, and racial equity. Connect with her on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/lkhopkins
The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the MPSA (Midwest Political Science Association). Any content provided is for informational purposes only and should not be taken as official statements or endorsements by MPSA.