Reclaiming Democracy from below: Participation, Self-Organization and Social Change In Turbulent Times

Across the world, democracy is facing unprecedented challenges. Rising inequalities, authoritarian tendencies, disinformation, environmental crises, corporate concentration, technological disruption, and declining trust in institutions have reshaped the conditions under which citizens participate in public life. Yet, amid these turbulent times, communities, workers, social movements, cooperatives, and grassroots organizations continue to develop innovative forms of collective action, self-organization, and democratic participation.

This session explores how democracy is being reclaimed from below through everyday practices of participation and self-management. In line with the XXI ISA World Congress theme, “Global Sociology in Turbulent Times,” the session examines how individuals and communities respond to contemporary crises by creating alternative spaces of democratic engagement, solidarity, and social transformation. It focuses on the capacity of grassroots actors to challenge exclusion, resist domination, and develop more inclusive and participatory forms of governance.

The session invites theoretical, empirical, and comparative contributions addressing diverse forms of participation and organizational democracy in both formal and informal settings. Topics may include community-led development, participatory governance, workplace democracy, cooperatives, self-help groups, social movements, digital participation, environmental activism, youth engagement, feminist and decolonial approaches, and innovative practices of collective self-management. Contributions examining participation under conditions of conflict, displacement, climate change, economic precarity, and democratic backsliding are particularly welcome.

By bringing together perspectives from different regions and traditions, the session seeks to advance sociological understanding of how democratic participation and collective self-organization can foster social resilience, empowerment, and transformative change in an increasingly interconnected yet fragmented world.