Objetivo When in 2013, a multinational energy corporation started to set up a drilling site in Żurawlów – a village in eastern Poland– residents sprang into action to protest the plans to use fracking (an unconventional method of shale gas extraction). Like social movements in the recent global wave of protest (such as Occupy, Indignados), they engaged in egalitarian organising. Finally, the corporation abandoned the village but the residents' activism did not end. Like the citizens in Żurawlów, similar anti-fracking groups in Europe are working on initiatives to build democratically-run renewable energy solutions. This project investigates the potential of such groups for a repowering of democracy, i.e. a reformulation of democratic models and a reorganisation of energy production along more egalitarian lines. The main objectives of the research are: (1) to investigate the forms of politicisation and imaginaries of egalitarianism in Polish and British communities and (2) to build interdisciplinary, inter-sectoral collaborations and draw up research-led strategies for local and systemic social innovation in the field of democratic self-organisation of energy initiatives. I will employ ethnographic research, local historical and rural sociological investigation to identify best democratic practice models of the communities. Through participatory action research and together with research participants we will develop and implement a framework for the assessment of community's energy potential. The projects' interdisciplinary nature contributes to critical enquiry into the possibilities of more democratic futures and their interrelationship with transitions of energy systems. The core focus is on the local dynamics of grassroots organising and its intersections with (inter)national structures. The overarching aim is to repower democracy in Europe– to help its citizens to be actively engaged in democratic processes by taking responsibility for tackling major societal challenges. Ámbito científico engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringenergy and fuelsrenewable energysocial sciencespolitical sciencespolitical transitionsrevolutionssocial sciencespolitical sciencesgovernment systemsdemocracyengineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringenergy and fuelsfossil energynatural gassocial sciencespolitical sciencespolitical policiescivil society Programa(s) H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Main Programme H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility Tema(s) MSCA-IF-2014-EF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF-EF) Convocatoria de propuestas H2020-MSCA-IF-2014 Consulte otros proyectos de esta convocatoria Régimen de financiación MSCA-IF-EF-ST - Standard EF Coordinador UNIVERSITETET I BERGEN Aportación neta de la UEn € 196 400,40 Dirección MUSEPLASSEN 1 5020 Bergen Noruega Ver en el mapa Región Norge Vestlandet Vestland Tipo de actividad Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Enlaces Contactar con la organización Opens in new window Sitio web Opens in new window Participación en los programas de I+D de la UE Opens in new window Red de colaboración de HORIZON Opens in new window Coste total € 196 400,40