Participatory Action Research for Community Regeneration in Mediterranean Sociocultural-Ecological Systems. Insights from Living Labs Experience in Sardinia

Branca, Giampiero

Participatory Action Research for Community Regeneration in Mediterranean Sociocultural-Ecological Systems. Insights from Living Labs Experience in Sardinia

Monday, 7 July 2025: 16:00

Location: FSE010 (Faculty of Education Sciences (FSE))

Oral Presentation

Romina DERIU, Department of History, Human Sciences and Education - University of Sassari, Italy, Desertification Research Centre (NRD) and Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Sassari, Italy

Giampiero BRANCA, Department of History, Human Sciences and Education - University of Sassari, Italy, Desertification Research Centre (NRD) and Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Sassari, Italy

Chiara CESERACCIU, Desertification Research Centre (NRD) and Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Sassari, Italy, University School for Advanced Studies IUSS - Pavia, Italy

Pier Paolo ROGGERO, Desertification Research Centre (NRD) and Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Sassari, Italy, National Biodiversity Future Centre (NBFC), Spoke 4 - University of Sassari, Italy

In recent decades, rural Mediterranean areas have encountered complex challenges which significantly affect their social, economic, environmental and cultural dimensions. Sustainable development in these regions requires participatory processes to drive community regeneration and manage sociocultural-ecological systems effectively (Berkes and Folke, 1998). This paper examines the role of participatory action research (PAR) in developing innovative solutions for local development, drawing on two case studies from Sardinia (Italy) and the implementation of Living Labs (Hossain et al., 2019; Ceseracciu et al., 2023).

PAR is based on stakeholder involvement throughout the research process, seamlessly integrating the moments of knowledge generation, action and intervention (Reason and Bradbury, 2006; McTaggart, 1997). The result is twofold: the regeneration of community participatory processes and the creation of shared knowledge capable of driving tangible social change in local sociocultural-ecological systems.

Following a critical contextualization of PAR in rural areas, we reflect on the insights emerging from the PRIMA-funded OURMed project, which promoted the activation of Living Labs in the Mediterranean. Living Labs were centered on social and cultural capital, and they were designed as participatory spaces for building shared knowledge, integrating community tacit knowledge and scientific knowledge. Living Labs facilitate the co-design (Busse et al., 2023) of sustainable development and the activation of context-specific and innovative participatory community regeneration processes.

The main results of the PAR activities include raising awareness of diverse community interests and interdependencies, fostering empowerment of marginalized stakeholders, and building new synergies between public institutions and local communities.

We also discuss critical methodological and epistemological challenges encountered in implementing Living Labs in Mediterranean rural areas, including semantic and conceptual stretching, the role of time, researcher positioning, stakeholder mapping, and the interplay of cultural, social, and ecological innovation. Addressing these challenges is crucial for ensuring the effectiveness of participatory processes in transforming rural Mediterranean sociocultural-ecological systems.