There are many ways to define and to become a “periphery” in Europe: by being at the margin of urban centers, by being in rural areas, by being a member of a cultural, sexual or ethnic minority, by not having access to a legal administrative status, etc. And with the current rise of divisive politics and the spread of hate speech on public debates, all peripheries play a crucial role. Because our peripheral identities suffer from the consequences of hate speech policies and are the embodiment of their populist depiction of what Europe shouldn’t be.

Cultural practices have played a crucial role in the process of building narratives that disempower peripheral communities. The ways in which our peripheral territories have been portrayed or the folklorization and stigmatization of the cultural expressions of the populations that live in our territories are a good example of this process. However in our neighborhoods there is a situated collective intelligence that has created community building mechanisms such as conviviality, play, celebration and commoning public space. 

Each of the partners in this consortium is already working in this direction within their respective contexts, however, given the global scope of the challenges we are facing locally it is important to share our experiences and specificities in peripheral territories.