What could it mean to be and live outside the axis? Without one's own (con)science?

Abstract

What it might mean to be and live outside the axis is a topic of high social and academic relevance, because we are referring to the long process of concentration of scientific knowledge production in some countries, notably in Europe and the United States. When referring to Brazil, the hegemonic axis—geographically—is in the capitals of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. Therefore, our objective is to reflect on some of the political, cultural, and epistemic meanings of being and living outside the universities located there. We, who are outside the axis, often conduct research with limited financial resources and extensive indoctrination, precisely from the hegemonic centers of scientific knowledge. Based on this reflection at the beginning of the text, we present an alternative to the Eurocentrism and universalism of theories and methods reproduced from Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, revealing aspects of how we are working on the university-territory relationship, integrating science, knowledge, and popular practices through participatory action research. One of the main lessons we have learned so far confirms the need for scientific and political subversion, producing knowledge for and with people from the working classes, from the countryside and the city, as well as for and with indigenous peoples.