Special Issue on "Transformative Social Practice and Socio-Critical Knowledge"

IntroductionCertainly, theme transformative social echoes Marx's thesis ad Feuerbach, not to interpret world, but to change it. Yet, purpose of addressing this theme is awkwardly reflected in this contrast. When are we really to decide between former and latter? We are involved with both all time. Transformative social addresses this involvement and is therefore not a theme that unfolds simply around an ideal notion of practice which is powerful and revolutionary counterposed to a peaky and colourless notion of theory. The focus on transformative social that we present in this special issue neither conveys prioritising practice over theory nor engages with political action before thinking.The purpose of devoting a special issue to this theme is more modest on one hand, and more demanding on other. It is more modest with regard to message that we initially had in mind, that is, to remind peers in academia that scientific research makes a difference, since it does not simply register world way it is - even when it seems to do nothing else. The reason is that science itself is a practice entangled with many other societal practices. Science is not only influenced by latter, it also works on solving their epistemic problems. And it is not an exception that outcomes of scientific investigations are followed by search for their practical application.However, entanglements between science and social practice run even deeper (cf. Langemeyer 2011). And therefore task of dealing with transformative social is more demanding than engaging with political action before thinking. Whether it is oriented towards political action or theoretical thinking, it always requires a reflection on stances within scientific or political or social work - stances that are often covered and opaque especially when doing science is declared to be in principle value-free. Thus, research on transformative social is always a theoretical and practical struggle to identify possibilities of transforming conditions by which we are estranged, patronised, oppressed, exploited - yet also enabled and empowered. The topic of transformative social envisions attempt to develop an emancipatory, i.e. critical and self-reflective, form of science in which self-determination and intervention against social injustice play a major role. But such issues are not just 'secondary', moral issues, so to speak, subordinated to 'primacy' of scientific matters; this division and subordination is questioned in first place. Scientific progress and progress in social justice are rather seen as two sides of same coin.This argument which was well articulated by Lev Vygotsky in his book on the historical meaning of crisis in psychology (1927/1987) is however likely to be misunderstood. A simplification of it would be prioritising moral over scientific. The question is not so much how to evaluate scientific projects and engagements in light of ethical problems, we are rather challenged to develop within manifold entanglements of scientists an adequate moral stance - i.e. ways of taking a stance by which we are capable of making not only a distinction but also a difference.The cultural-historical approach as it is presented in this issue does not only serve as a pool of critical insights or useful tools, but is itself explored as a model of 'doing science'. Here, science is not seen as a power 'from outside' impinging on practices with intention to transform them. Instead, doing science is conceived of as an integral part of societal transformation. Most importantly, this socio-critical science can therefore never be a kind of knowledge of a completed form. It has to be understood in itself as a culturalhistorical product, as 'philosophy just in time' (Jensen 1999), which is drawn upon, reproduced and changed by researchers in their local research processes. …