The project brings together an international consortium of universities, research centers, and civil society organizations to study the role of the arts, culture, and grassroots cultural spaces in promoting civic participation and strengthening democracy, in both in-person and digital contexts. The research focuses on four areas of social transformation: nightlife as spaces for participation (nightivism), mobilization for women’s rights, racial and ethnic civic participation through cultural expression, and youth activism and citizenship education.

Though creative, participatory, and interdisciplinary methodologies, the project develops case studies in different regions of the world and also explores the potential of digital and immersive environments to promote more inclusive political participation, contributing to the formulation of recommendations for public policies and the strengthening of democracy at the local, national, an European levels.

CEsA/ISEG Research—ISEG, University of Lisbon—is part of this consortium through the participation of Prof. Iolanda Évora and Jessica Falconi, who are leading the research on racial and ethnic civic participation through cultural expression.

As part Work Package 5 – Race, Ethnicity, and Civic Participation – D5.1: “Digital Cartography (Afro-cultural Movement)” shown below was developed.

This D5.1: Digital Cartography (Afro-cultural Movement), produced as one of the outputs of Work Package 5 – Race, Ethnicity and Civic Participation of the #DemocracyInAction (101178843) project, offers a comprehensive overview of grassroots organizations addressed to African and Afro-descendant communities, focusing on their cultural initiatives that foster civic participation in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area. Developed through a collaborative process and using a snowball methodology, the cartography brings together information on more than fifty associations, collectives, and community groups, including details on their activities and geographic locations. The criteria and categories used to organize the entities were defined in partnership with stakeholders, ensuring an accurate representation of the diversity and scope of their work. In addition to these organizations, the digital cartography also includes digital initiatives and platforms that contribute to cultural participation, providing a dynamic tool for exploration, visibility, and networking.