Inclusion and Gender Empowerment in European Civil Society Organisations

This book aims to rethink the intersection between inclusion and gender in civil society, media, academic and policy discourses across Europe.

With a critical and participatory approach, this book advances the concept of ’situated intersectionality’ to rethink empowerment as a dynamic process shaped by local contexts. Drawing on rich data from the Horizon Europe project ReIncluGen, this book examines discourses on gender empowerment and inclusion in Austria, Belgium, Italy, Poland, and Spain. From both academic and civil society perspectives, the volume explores how these discourses are addressed, as well as how they contribute to, or reduce, inequalities. These insights further our understanding, reflecting on innovative practices used by civil society and policymakers to foster social change.

This book assembles chapters that will be of interest to scholars and students of gender studies, sociology, migration, and media studies, as well as practitioners, policymakers, and CSOs working on issues of migration, diversity, equality, and inclusion. It offers valuable insights for anyone seeking to understand and support inclusive practices that foster a more equitable European future.

Amal Miri is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Centre for Migration, Diversity and Justice at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Belgium. Her research sits at the intersection of migration studies, critical feminist theory, and participatory methodologies. She investigates how migrantised people navigate and reshape social worlds through affective citizenship, culture and (religious) agency.

Lore Van Praag is Associate Professor Social inequalities and Diversity at the Erasmus University of Rotterdam, Netherlands. Her research interests are mainly focused on environmental migration, migrant perspectives on climate adaptation, education, gender and diversity.

Havva Akçaoglu is Researcher at the Free University of Brussels, Belgium. As a socially driven political scientist, Akçaoglu supports local and international movements in their efforts for prosperity, justice and development.

Andrea Fleckinger is a Research Fellow at the University of Trento, Italy. Her research focuses on feminist, qualitative, and participatory approaches to gendered power relations, especially victimisation, institutional dynamics, and transgenerational trauma.

Laia Narciso is Professor of Social Anthropology at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Spain. Her expertise includes ethnographic and qualitative methodologies. She focuses on social and educational inequalities in the field of gender studies, migration and minorities.