Societal transformation requires the emergence of alternative imaginaries. As these imaginaries are inherently political, the policies and priorities will differ according to the imaginaries that inform them. Considering Community-Led Initiatives (CLIs) as privileged spaces of imagination, we propose to look at how alternative political imaginaries emerge in CLIs, and how those imaginaries are being developed within CLIs and in interaction with other political actors. We are particularly interested in the processes of inclusion and exclusion within networks for community-led initiatives. What visions of democracy, social justice and collective agency/power are being constructed within networks of CLIs? Who is involved, and who is excluded from the imagination process? What are the barriers faced by CLIs in terms of political imagination? Informed by literature on political imagination and the interactional approach to social movements, we will look at how political imagination is constructed within CLIs. Empirical data will include document analysis, blog posts, podcasts and interviews with key actors within three networks of CLIs active in European countries: Transition movement, GEN Europe (ecovillages) and RIPESS Europe (solidarity economy). Finally, based on a discourse analysis, we will discuss what political imaginaries are being developed within these networks of CLIs, their visions of social justice and democracy, and the barriers to the imaginative process.

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• Political Science - Social Sciences