Ramón Flecha

Ramón Flecha is a professor of sociology at the University of Barcelona, Doctor Honoris Causa from West University of Timişoara, and a renowned researcher in social sciences in Europe. Alain Touraine commented about Flecha's contribution:

At times, as Ramón Flecha demonstrates, knowledge goes from bottom to top, when individuals without degrees produce and invent cultural analyses based on their own experience.

Ulrich Beck has said that Flecha's book Contemporary Sociological Theory

combines rigorous research with facts, including the intention for a dialogical utopia. But this broad intention is presented in the book, joining theory with critique and empirical research with praxis, in such a charming way that it grabs its readers and captures them under its spell.

Flecha’s investigations stand out for their joint impact in the scientific, political and social domains. The main conclusion of the first project that he directed in the European Union’s Framework Program of research WORKALO, The creation of new occupational patterns for cultural minorities: The gypsy case, was passed by unanimous vote by the European Parliament, leading to different European and member states’ policies. The second project directed by him (INCLUD-ED Strategies for inclusion and social cohesion from education in Europe) was the only one from the Social Sciences and Humanities included in the list that the European Commission published with 10 successful scientific investigations. Ramon Flecha is currently directing the project IMPACT-EV Evaluating the impact and outcomes of European SSH research, which is the research project that the European Commission’s 7th Framework Programme of research has funded in order to develop indicators and standards that will serve to evaluate not only the scientific impact of the research in the Social Sciences and the Humanities but particularly its political and social impacts. To the recognised experience of Flecha in achieving outstanding scientific, political and especially social impact demonstrated—among other projects—in the former EC-funded research he has led, the IMPACT-EV consortium, adds the expertise of highly known experts in the analysis and assessment of research impact from eight other institutions in Europe.
His sociological contributions cover different areas: research methodology (communicative methodology), culture (dialogic literary gatherings), economy (successful cooperative actions), education (learning communities), cultural groups (dialogic societal community), new masculinities (alternative masculinities), sociology of science (scientific, political and social impact) and social theory (dialogic societies). His work has been published in twelve different languages including German, Catalan, Korean, Chinese, Spanish, Basque, Galician, Finnish, French, English, Portuguese, Romanian.
A doctoral thesis published as a book presents large evidence of the coherence in both his personal and his social life through with the values and feelings that he has promoted through his intellectual work. This thesis, entitled "Aportaciones de Jesús Gómez y Ramón Flecha a las teorías y prácticas dialógicas (1965-2006)" [Contributions of Jesús Gómez and Ramon Flecha a to dialogic theories and practices] was defended by Elisenda Giner and directed by Donaldo Macedo (University of Massachusetts), Floro Sanz (UNED) and LuisTorrego (Universidad de Valladolid). The hall was full of people coming from very different places. It ended with the proven conclusion: we can teach boys and girls that their friendships, if they take care of them, cannot only make their lives extraordinary, but also improve the lives of all humanity.

Ramon Flecha was born in 1952. In 1967 he collaborated in the creation of a center of cultural activities in the poorest area of his hometown, Bilbao. From 1969, and until the dawn of democracy in Spain, he was a member of the clandestine movement against Franco’s dictatorship (Giner, 2010). He played a relevant role as a leader of the democratic movement in all the places where he studied, worked or lived, managing to combine this role with his open opposition to those who within these clandestine movements were in favor of other sort of dictatorships and to those who exerted or justified sexual harassment within organizations. As proven by the many and diverse evidence collected by Dr. Giner (2010), he was always consistent in his personal and social life with the ideas bof democracy, equality and freedom which he defended in his work.

In 1978 he moved to live in a neighborhood with shaks in Barcelona and he founded the Popular Centre La Verneda-Sant Martí, which cultural democratic task has been highlighted by an article in the Harvard Educational Review, being the first Spanish educational experience published in this journal. The theory and practice of Dialogic learning elaborated in that first experience has been the basis of the transformation of schools in Learning Communities. His book Sharing Words (published in Spain, USA and China) narrates the personal and social transformation of the participants in the dialogic literary gatherings which is a cultural activity created by Flecha in 1981. In the first scientific studies that he directed, he elaborated the communicative methodology of research which is currently acknowledged, published and taught by some of the most relevant scientific research programs, the best universities and the most relevant journals. His theory of the dialogic societies has guided the foundation and the activities mof a research centre (CREA) which is being presented as a model of sociological work in the 21st century. In 2007, he started, together with Erik Olin Wright an International research network about successful companies with solidarity, and therefore his concept of successful cooperative actions. In 1977, he started a work around the new masculinities that has been opening up a path against the flow until recently when the concept of alternative masculinities is being investigated and published.

In 1991 Flecha founded CREA, centre of research that has had a great impact improving both forms of work as well the personal relations within the Spanish universities. The research of SAFO, CREA women’s group, led to the legislation of the obligation for Spanish universities to have commissions of equality and protocols against gender violence in the Equality Law of 2007. In January 2004 they broke the silence in Spanish universities and Flecha supported them as the director of the centre. The hard prosecution of the university lobby of harassers against the members of the centre did not stop the fact that, from then on, Spanish university professors were more free to develop their intellectual tasks and also freely decide their personal relationships, with the strength of the harassments to prevent this decreasing slowly. In 2016, the article "Breaking the Silence in Spanish Universities: Findings From the First Study of Violence Against Women on Campuses in Spain" was published in the journal Violence Against Women (first of this topic in the JCR ranking), where recognizes Ramón Flecha for initiating the fight against gender violence in Spanish universities and not give up despite the attacks and harassment received since then. CREA has also been distinguished for maintaining an internal atmosphere of scientific and coexistence excellence among people from very diverse options as regards culture, gender, ideology, religion, types of life and social origins.

In 2007, he received the Doctorate Honoris Causa by the University of West Timisoara. In the year 2010 the FAGIC (Federation of Roma Associations of Catalonia) awarded him with the FAGIC prize for his contribution to the recognition of the Roma people. In June 2013, he received the Gold Medal for the Merit in Education 2012 awarded by the Government of Andalusia.

Throughout his career, Flecha has given lectures around the world, in universities such as Harvard, Columbia, Montpellier, Aachen, Glasgow, Porto Alegre, Seoul, and UNAM.

• Flecha, R., Soler, M. & Sordé, T. (2015).Social impact: Europe must fund social sciences, Nature, 528, 193. doi:10.1038/528193d
• Flecha, R. (2015). Successful Educational Actions for Inclusion and Social Cohesion in Europe. New York: Springer.
• Flecha, R. (2014). Using mixed methods from a communicative orientation: Researching with grassroots Roma. Journal of Mixed Methods Research, 8 (3):245-254. doi:10.1177/1558689814527945
• Flecha, R. & Soler, M. (2014).Communicative Methodology: Successful Actions and Dialogic Politics. Current Sociology, 62(2): 232-242. doi:10.1177/0011392113515141
• Flecha, R., & Soler, M. (2013). Turning difficulties into possibilities: engaging Roma families and students in school through dialogic learning. Cambridge Journal of Education. doi: 10.1080/0305764X.2013.819068. This paper obtained the 2013 Best Paper Prize of Cambridge Journal of Education.
• Flecha, R., García, R. & Gómez, A. (2013). Transferencia de las tertulias literarias dialógicas a instituciones penitenciarias. Revista de Educación, 360, 140–161. doi:10.4438/1988-592X-RE-2013-360-224
• Sordé, T., Flecha, R. & Mircea, T. (2013). El pueblo gitano: una identidad global sin territorio. Scripta Nova, Vol. XVII, 427.
• Flecha, R. (2012). European research, social innovation and successful cooperativist actions. International Journal of Quality and Service Sciences, 4(4), 332 – 344. doi:10.1108/17566691211288322
• Flecha, R. & Santa Cruz I. (2011).Cooperation for Economic Success. The Mondragon Case. Analyse & Kritik, 33 (1), 157-170.
• Gómez, A., Puigvert, L. & Flecha R. (2011). Critical Communicative Methodology: Informing real social transformation through research. Qualitative Inquiry, 17(3), 235-245. doi: 10.1177/1077800410397802
• Flecha, R. (2011). The dialogic sociology of education. International Studies in Sociology of Education, 21(1), 7 – 20. doi:10.1080/09620214.2011.543849
• Soler, M., & Flecha, R. (2010). Desde los Actos de Habla de Austin a los actos comunicativos. Perspectivas desde Searle, Habermas y CREA. Special Issue: Communicative acts for social inclusion. Signos, 43(2), 363-375. doi:10.4067/S0718-09342010000400007.
• Oliver, E.; Soler, M.; Flecha, R. (2009). Opening schools to all (women): efforts to overcome gender violence in Spain, British Journal of Sociology of Education, 30(2), pp. 207–218. doi:10.1080/01425690802700313
• Aubert, A.; Flecha, A.; García, C.; Flecha, R. y Racionero, S. (2008). Aprendizaje dialógico en la sociedad de la información. Barcelona: Hipatia.
• Gomez,J.; Latorre,A.; Sánchez,M.; Flecha,R. (2006). Metodología comunicativa crítica. Barcelona: Roure.
• Touraine, A.; Wieviorka, M.; Flecha, R. et al. (2004). Conocimiento e identidad. Voces de grupos culturales en la investigación social. Barcelona: Roure
• Flecha, R.; Gómez, J. & Puigvert, L. (2003): Contemporary Sociological Theory . New York: Peter Lang, also available in Spanish.
• Flecha, R. (2000): Sharing Words. Theory and Practice of Dialogic Learning. Lanham, M.D: Rowman & Littlefield, also available in Spanish and Chinese.
• Castells, M.; Flecha, R.; Freire, P.; Giroux, H.; Macedo, D. & Willis, P. (1999): Critical Education in the New Information Age. Lanham, M.D: Rowman & Littlefield. Foreword by Peter Mclaren. Also available in Spanish and Portuguese.
• Flecha, R. (1999). Modern and postmodern racism in Europe: dialogic approach and anti-racist pedagogies, Harvard Educational Review, 69(2), 150-171.
• Flecha,R. & Gómez,J. (1995). Racismo, no, gracias; ni moderno ni postmoderno. Barcelona: Roure.
• Ayuste, A.; Flecha, R.; Lleras, J.; López. F. (1994). Planteamientos de la pedagogía crítica. Comunicar y transformar. Barcelona: Graó.
• Giroux, H.; Flecha, R. (1992). Igualdad educativa y differencia cultural. Barcelona: Roure.
• Flecha, R. (1990). La nueva desigualdad cultural. Barcelona: Roure.
• Flecha, R. (1990). Educación de las personas adultas. Propuestas para los noventa. Barcelona: Roure.
• Flecha, R.; López, F.; Saco, R. (1988). Dos siglos de educación de adultos. De las Sociedades de Amigos del País a los modelos actuales. Barcelona: Roure.