The Changing Face of Citizen Action

A Knowledge Exploration

Politicians and policy makers have turned the spotlight on the citizen. In the Global North we find Obama’s ‘yes we can’. The UK is at the forefront of an apparent ‘big society’ revival in Europe. In the Global South, citizens face the challenge to enforce good governance and to complement responsive service delivery. And at the international level, citizens are expected to preserve precious public goods, in the absence of effective global policies.

On 15 and 16 September a selected group of 40 researchers, scholar-activists and social practitioners are brought together to deepen the understanding on citizen action, sharpen questions and strengthen connections for future research and innovative support practices.

How are citizens across the globe claiming their basic rights and needs in an increasingly interconnected world? Globalizations of various kinds(technology, culture, politics, economics) are shifting patterns of power and authority, whilst offering opportunities and challenges for citizen action. Persistent global crises (climate, economy, inequality, food & fuel security, conflict) and the way in which these manifest themselves in the lives of ordinary citizens are triggering new responses, both civic and uncivic in nature.

The agendas and theories of change behind this new starring role for the citizen are manifold and often conflicting. Support and research strategies for citizen action seem ill rooted in everyday reality, fueled by the remarkable absence of citizens themselves in their own narratives of change. Existing frameworks for explaining and researching citizen action are in need of an update. Witness the attempts to understand the implications of digital activism, often hyped yet under-researched. Witness recent developments in the Middle East, that have left the world grappling for explanations.

Our discussions will focus on the following provocations:

-          The face of citizen action may be changing, but its character remains the same

-          In a globalizing world, citizen action that targets the state is increasingly a waste of time

-          The most relevant and interesting developments in the realm of citizen action occur in spaces that are invisible and inaccessible for the large majority of researchers and supporters of citizen action

This event is on invitation only. On this site you will find more information about the upcoming event.