UPCOMING INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE IN CATANIA (IT), 29-30 May 2025:
INSTITUTING CIVICS CIVIC INSTITUTIONS
A SEARCH (CONFERENCE) FOR INNOVATING PLANNING THEORY AND PRACTICE, BEYOND THE COLLABORATION-CONFLICT DICHOTOMY
https://www.resisting-prin.it/instituting-civics-civic-institutions-open-call/
For decades planning scholars have debated on the importance of looking at planning as an endeavour engaging not just institutional decision-makers supported by trained professionals, but also the civil society. Overall, the large body of planning literature on the relationship between civil society and institutions suggests that there is not an ideal type of desirable, effective, or productive civics-institutions relationship, because the right approach might depend on the circumstances, can evolve over time, encompassing the full spectrum of possibilities (collaboration, co-production, conflict, agonism, etc.).
We believe that such a debate needs to advance moving from the traditional focus on the desired characteristics of the relationship toward the specific traits of both institutions and civil society facilitating the establishment of a fruitful relationship, whatever fruitful might mean in a certain context.
The title of the conference draws inspiration from Roberto Esposito’s instituting thought, in recognition that: on the one side, within institutions there is an inherent conflict between implementing laws while adapting them to fit specific contexts; on the other side, within civil society there is an ongoing struggle to find a collective, inclusive, representative dimension that can still respect individual specificities.
What are the traits of a civic institution, namely an institution that is truly sensitive and responsive to fragmented but genuine civic demands? How are these traits developed? What are the traits of an instituting civics, namely a civil society that is likely to collect, organize, and express collective demands that can be strategically used to push institutions to really act in the face of the contemporary socio-ecological crisis?
Within this framework, we seek contributions from planning, urban scholars and/or social scientists and other related fields who are willing to respond to the questions raised in this Call, fully developed in a position paper that can be downloaded here.
In particular, we are looking for contributions that combine theoretical reflection with explicit references to the ‘real world’ (case study, multiple case study research, ethnography, action research, longitudinal or latitudinal studies, storytelling, etc.). The goal is to collectively explore the conceptual and practical mechanisms by which institutions are or might/should/want to become civic institutions, or civic organizations are or might/should/want to become instituting organisations.
This is a search conference aimed at creating a community of scholars interested in how reconceptualizing the relationship between civil society and institutions—within planning, urban studies, social studies, etc.—can help address the significant socio-economic and ecological challenges faced by contemporary cities, territories, and communities. Transdisciplinary contributions are particularly welcomed. Early career scholars and individuals operating inside the research-practice nexus (activists, professionals, public officers, etc.) are encouraged to apply.
We do not require full papers to be written before the conference, but we are planning to work, with a selection of the contributions, on a collective peer-reviewed publication.
An activity organised within the framework of the PRIN PNRR 2022 project RESISTING - Reconnecting Social innovation with InSTitutions in urban planning https://www.resisting-prin.it
