"Participation as a popular promise"
At least since the 1960s, when performativity theories from science and art made the social order appear to be practically changeable, the idea of participation has shaped political thinking and social practice in Western societies. Participation has become a popular promise in democracy, and participatory elements - from the direct election of mayors to citizens' councils at national level - are often seen as a means of countering declining engagement and widespread dissatisfaction among citizens.
Conference description
In various institutions, from medicine to schools and churches, the participation of competent laypeople is expected to improve the performance of institutions. Digital and networked media raise hopes for the active participation of citizens in public discourse and decision-making processes. On the other hand, it has proven difficult to live up to the expectations associated with the promise of participation and to enable effective participation in the face of unequal opportunities for participation. Moreover, societies are increasingly confronted with the complaint that participation can also lead to the popularity of political practices and agendas that are perceived as challenging, undesirable or even threatening by (traditional) institutional actors. The conference addresses participation as a popular but ambivalent promise with a (historical) background in (popular) science literature (e.g. performativity theories, theories of democracy, science and technology studies, disability studies, etc.). While the first day will focus on historical perspectives on the discourse, including international comparisons, the second day will discuss case studies on contemporary institutional practices.
Panel discussion
As part of the conference, the public panel discussion "Reden, Entscheiden, Mitbestimmen: When does citizen participation deliver what it promises?" will take place. The panel will include: Prof. Dr. Sigrid Baringhorst (University of Siegen), Prof. Dr. Chantal Munsch (University of Siegen), Prof. Dr. Fran Osrečki (Berlin School of Economics and Law) and Hennig Witzel (Netzwerk Junge Bürgermeister*innen e.V.). The discussion will be moderated by Prof. Dr. Maren Lehmann (SFB 1472).
Workshop/Gallery Walk
On February 20, 2026, the central topics of the conference will be further explored in an interactive Gallery Walk. This will be organized by Prof. Dr. Anna-Rebecca Hoffmann and Prof. Dr. Alexander Wohnig (University of Siegen). It offers interactive and various media-based insights into the Living Archive project Your Most Popular and reflects on its participatory dimension. There will also be a discussion with participants in the project (teachers, pupils and students)(https://sfb1472.uni-siegen.de/forschung/oeffentlichkeitsarbeit-und-administration/wissenschaftskommunikation).
The presentations at the conference can be held in German or English, the discussions are bilingual. The panel discussion and the workshop/gallery walk will be held exclusively in German.
You can find more information about the conference at:
https://sfb1472.uni-siegen.de/veranstaltungen/participation-as-a-popular-promise