Engaging publics: writing as praxis

Abstract

Geographers have long debated for whom and for what ends academics should research and publish, how geographical knowledge is produced, and the use and value of such knowledges. This paper contributes to these debates through a discussion of an on-going project concerning the financial crisis in Ireland and its legacy of ‘ghost estates’. The analysis is framed with respect to Michael Burawoy’s taxonomy of forms of scholarly knowledge production and details the use of 10 forms of writing praxis, aimed at engaging a variety of audiences. The paper demonstrates that the classes in Burawoy’s taxonomy are far from mutually exclusive, and illustrates how geographical scholarship can make an impact in a variety of registers.