Squares and Beyond on LSE roof. Carsten Vogel.All rights reserved.On 3 – 4 July 2015, the London School of Economics together with openDemocracy, hosted an international workshop titled Moving on from the Squares that brought together a wide range of actors including academics, movement activists, representatives of NGOs, foundations and think tanks along with political party activists and journalists for roundtable discussions and debates on the challenges in democratising politics; how the square movements have developed in the intervening years; and the relationship of movements with other civil society actors including NGOs, trade unions, political parties and the media.
The workshop, together with this webpage, is the outcome of an editorial partnership between myself, Armine Ishkanian (LSE – Department of Social Policy) and Rosemary Bechler, openDemocracy Editor and the Can Europe make it? team. This partnership builds upon and substantially extends the reach and scope of the findings from the Reclaiming democracy in the square: interpreting the movements of 2011-2012 research project I led together with Marlies Glasius from the University of Amsterdam (report). What is distinctive about this editorial partnership is that it brings together academic rigour, depth and an already engaged network of activists with the editors who have the skills to create a wider conversation.
