The current political, economic, and ecological crisis, marked by the erosion of welfare state and care policies, is leading to episodes of marginalisation, here understood as a process involving both spatial segregation and exclusion from decision-making opportunities and their implementation. However, the dynamics of exclusion are not always overt and can result in various outcomes in terms of engagement in public life. The most vulnerable groups – e.g. migrants, young people, people in difficult socio-economic circumstances (observed more and more from an intersectional perspective) – are the most affected by this situation. They are often the focus of discourses on alternative practices of care and social inclusion, both institutional and non-institutional, which encompass participatory processes and community-driven initiatives.

Although there is a widespread desire to empower the aforementioned social groups (e.g. the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development), the numerous attempts only occasionally achieve the expected results. Sometimes, projects and policies are promoted without adequately surveying the needs of the target groups. In other cases, they generate co-optation dynamics that further strengthen inequalities. What times, spaces and methods for participation and sharing currently exist? Are these opportunities effective, or do they reproduce and reinforce the status quo? What factors can influence participatory processes, such as temporalities, emotional, spatial and power relations in the institutional and non-institutional places of participation (e.g. squares, schools, community health centres, housing, places of work, consumption etc.)? How can these places be produced, used or transformed to support a changing Europe from an equality perspective?

Contributions, whether in the form of oral presentations, videos, performances, podcasts, or other formats, can develop case studies, theoretical and/or methodological aspects. We welcome particularly those that explore critical aspects and contradictions.