Focusing on community-based socially productive methods, this book explores innovative approaches to eco-social transformation and sustainability. It presents a transdisciplinary perspective that integrates various fields to address pressing environmental and social challenges, emphasizing the importance of local economies in fostering sustainable practices. Through its insights, it aims to inspire collective action and reimagine economic systems that prioritize ecological health and community well-being.
The text explores various aspects of community development and social economy, focusing on the complexities and challenges faced in the German-speaking regions. It addresses the intricate relationship between community and economy, emphasizing the normative aspirations of social economy within communities. The concept of community economy is presented as a real utopia, supported by contemporary examples and their explanations. The societal significance of socio-economic self-organization is highlighted, alongside the potential of everyday mixed logics as a political resource. The discussion also includes the role of social movements and civil society in socio-economic development, linking self-organization with social innovation.
The perspective of social work in community development across Europe is examined, particularly in the context of post-industrial challenges faced by former working-class neighborhoods. It analyzes the re-ethnicization of the German population as a non-negotiable perception pattern and its implications for integration. The text proposes desirable integration models and outlines methodological implications derived from the problem analysis. Finally, it reflects on the evolution of community work and social movements, noting the revival of the "social city" as a new approach to community development, framing it as an intermediate strategy and a post-modern profession.
In Fragen unseres Lebensstils und der Organisation von Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft ist ein »Weiter so« nicht möglich: Wir wissen längst, dass wir unter der trügerischen Vorstellung grenzenlosen Wachstums auf einem begrenzten Planeten viel zu lange über unsere Verhältnisse gelebt haben. Doch welche konkreten Möglichkeiten haben wir, unsere Zukunft aktiv zu gestalten? Die Autorinnen und Autoren aus Wissenschaft, Wirtschaft, Politik und Gesellschaft zeigen, wie der Wandel möglich ist – und dass er von vielen Menschen bereits gelebt wird.
