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Civic arts in a transnational peoples' assembly : a 'democratic odyssey'
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Florence : European University Institute, 2025
EUI; STG; Master Thesis
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RECCHIA, Christian, Civic arts in a transnational peoples’ assembly : a ‘democratic odyssey’, Florence : European University Institute, 2025, EUI, STG, Master Thesis - https://hdl.handle.net/1814/93864
Abstract
This thesis investigates how civic arts can reimagine participation in a transnational People’s Assembly, through the case of the Democratic Odyssey—a travelling pan-European experiment toward a permanent Citizens’ Assembly. Blending ethnography, creative practice, and practitioner insight, it traces how methods like participatory theatre, ritual, and collective art-making were embedded into the assemblies in Athens and Florence. A typology of artistic facilitation maps their contribution across deliberative phases—from symbolic openings to embodied synthesis. Findings show that civic arts enable emotional resonance, imagination, and inclusion where institutional language fails, transforming deliberation into a space of presence and co-creation. Yet, tensions around clarity, access, and design remain. More than embellishment, civic arts emerge here as democratic infrastructure—restoring connection in a fragmented Europe, and offering tools to sense, relate, and decide anew. In an age of policrisis, this thesis argues, artistic practices and imagination are not luxuries—they are conditions for democratic renewal.
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Award date: 13 June 2025
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Kalypso Nicolaidis (European University Institute)
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Kalypso Nicolaidis (European University Institute)