About the conference
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness
Do we already know the remedies for the challenges of contemporary society? After three decades of intensive reflection on social innovation, we have moved closer to a deep understanding of the challenges facing humanity. Research in this field has progressed from the helpless labeling of phenomena as “wicked problems” toward more agentic approaches, focusing on designing innovations and solutions that address challenges at the micro and macro levels, as well as within complex systems. At this year’s conference, we acknowledge the polycrisis and call for a shift in narrative toward polisolutions.
New paradigms are emerging and they open space for changing ways of thinking, acting, and being: regenerativity, resilience, sustainable development, degrowth, and other approaches that redefine the relationships between the economy, the environment, and society. These paradigms arise as consequences of prior processes that led to the establishment of human rights, social equality, universal education, as well as democratic institutions.
Following Zygmunt Bauman’s diagnoses, we find ourselves in a transitional period marked by the erosion of established social and institutional structures, while new forms of collective life are only beginning to take shape. Under conditions of interregnum, social innovations function as experimental practices, proposing alternative models of action and ways of perceiving reality. From this perspective, the key questions today are: What forms of collective life do we consider desirable? How can we embed them in public policies, organizations, and everyday practices?
By adopting an agentic stance and cultivating empathetic courage, we open the three-day Social Innovation Conference SOCIN as a space for critical reflection, creative exchange, experimentation with forms of action, and honest engagement with the complexity of the world.
Organizers
Strategic Partner
Financing
The project is co-funded by the European Union. However, the views and opinions expressed are solely those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official position of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held liable for them.