This virtual exhibition brings together work by participants in the CES Summer School with the same title, “Rekindling the Civic Imagination for Social Change”, organised by Rita Alcaire, Olga Solovova, Júlia Garraio and Ana Raquel Matos. It took place virtually, between July 7 and 11, 2021, with Henry Jenkins as keynote speaker, an unavoidable reference in research on media, pop culture and “civic imagination”, a concept that refers to the ability to imagine alternatives to contemporary cultural, social, political and/or economic conditions.

Throughout five days of theoretical sessions, roundtables, workshops and a cultural programme that focused on issues such as the economic crisis, climate change and mental health, among many others that affect the contemporary world, professors and participants debated what civic futures can be and how to strengthen bridges and trust between academia, the arts and social movements.

The works gathered in this virtual exhibition precisely offer visions that help to imagine and create alternatives to the sometimes dystopian present

Link to the exhibition | https://www.ces.uc.pt/summerwinterschools/imaginacaocivica

[Image © Gabriella Clare Marino / Unsplash]