Creative Tools for Democracy: Stockholm University Joins New CIVIS Collaboration
A new collaboration between four CIVIS universities will bring researchers and civil society groups together to experiment with creative approaches to democratic participation and public engagement.
Ayşem Mert, an associate professor of political science will coordinate the project "Civic Co-Create Lab: Creative Tools for Democratic World-Making" at Stockholm University. Photo: Sören Andersson/Stockholm University © 2019
The CIVIS-funded project, “Civic Co-Create Lab: Creative Tools for Democratic World-Making,” led by Lazaros Karaliotas (University of Glasgow), involves Haris Malamidis (National and Kapodistrian University of Athens), Fernando de los Santos Menéndez (Universidad Autónoma de Madrid) and Ayşem Mert (Stockholm University).
The lab invites civil society groups to teach one another creative methods they use to make issues public, from documentary film and storytelling to rights-based education and embodied participatory walkshops. Mert will lead the project's strand on situated and embodied methods.
Beginning with a workshop in Athens in January 2027, the project aims to develop into a traveling lab connecting Athens, Glasgow, Madrid and Stockholm.
Ayşem Mert, is an associate professor at the Department of Political Science affiliated with the Stockholm Center on Global Governance.
Last updated: 2026-10-14
Source: Department of Political Science