When legitimate critiques of elite intellectualism lead one to be anti-theory we remove possibilities of marginalized communities to articulate their own conceptions of themselves and to see those expressions as theory.

In public interest law practice I observed a reluctance to engage with certain theoretical frameworks to inform our work. It was dismissed as "academic" but we lost out on insights from ideas such as Black feminist theory.

Movement history is replete with examples of "study groups" including ALL members of the community regardless of formal level of education in the form of political education. In those spaces new ideas emerge. #praxis

I understand why there is hesitation to engage with theory. I suggest part of the resistance is what is presented as the "text" for theory. Theory emerges from varied discursive practices that maybe text but it can also be culture or oral traditions such as music.

In movement spaces I observe a similar elite intellectualism where certain high profile activists become "experts" in a field, but their class/social location gives them access in ways that others do not have. It invisibilizes theorizing that occurs in working class communities.

The professionalized academic, public interest lawyer and activist then reify epistemologies that maintain racial and economic subordination because they're driving the discourse without critically evaluating their own position.

#EllaBaker understood this tendency to professionalize movement work in the context of civil rights movement and critiqued hierarchical leadership.

I am interested to interrogate what counts as theory, who is producing this theory, how can we cultivate what Gramsci calls the organic intellectual to challenge knowledge production in even movement spaces that seems to maintain class/race dominance.

Examples of folks who embody this conception of the organic intellectual are Claudia Jones & James Boggs who engaged their theoretical and movement concerns through community &
collectives. Sadly, they are lesser known & newer movement folks emulate the individualized models.