Independence and Involvement

One of the biggest challenges facing Western European contemporary societies is how to live together in a multicultural and multi-religious reality and to act and interact as citizens (and non-citizens) in a democratic society. This study, inspired by the sociologist Alain Touraine and the communication theorists Scollon and Scollon, puts the actor-perspective in the heart of this debate; the ability to be free but committed, different but in solidarity, independent but involved both in communication as well as in identity. The study gives voice to the experiences of committed individuals in Tensta, a multicultural and economically marginalized suburb at the outskirts of Stockholm, trying to understand the conditions for building an intercultural local society in the midst of a globalised, postmodern world. The study identifies processes of engagement and non- engagement in relation to the society, as well as institutional and political models that can support or counteract social activism. The novel theoretical approach and the thought-provoking voices from Tensta provide key insights to anyone interested in issues around globalisation, interculturalism and active participation.