Abstract

The knowledge mobilized by social scientists and, in particular, economists reveals a great difficulty in capturing the specific richness and difference of Solidarity Economy and other forms of non-capitalist economy. There is the need of new epistemological and methodological approaches which, by expanding the field of analysis, are able to acknowledge the aspects made invisible or neglected by the traditional knowledge, like, for example, the actors' subjectivity, the modes of social and political participation, the alternative rationale of the enterprises, or the ways to mobilize and use the scarce resources. All this is relevant to understand what Solidarity Economy is, posing a challenge to researchers and the science in general.

Publication organized by Pedro Hespanha nd Aline Mendonça dos Santos, integrated in the Social Policy Book Series of the CES/Almedina Collections. Book launch integrated in the program of the International Colloquiuml Solidarity Economy: A Seed For The Future..