Overview

On 22^nd and 23^rd of May we will be celebrating the 10th anniversary of Ecosol-CES. "Building Together Solidarity Economy" is an event with the purpose of bringing together academics, activists and institutions not only to celebrate the 10 years of the Group but also to propose a reflection on the Solidarity Economy in Portugal, the Associativism and the possible dialogues and with the following themes: Commons, other economies, the Transition Movement, Participatory Budget, community economies. It will also be an opportune moment for a reflection on the contributions of Jean-Louis Laville's work for the Solidarity Economy in Portugal and in Europe. We will count on your presence as well.

The Meeting "Building Together Solidarity Economy" will crown these 10 years of existence of the Ecosol-CES Group. Throughout this decade of existence, we have learned a lot. We broadened our dialogue with popular and community economic initiatives, as well as with associations and activists in Portugal. We have integrated the Portuguese Network of Solidarity Economy (Redpes). We reflect, with the support of researchers and partners, on the particularities of the Solidarity Economy in Portugal and in Europe, focusing on its repeated institutional invisibility. We have ties with researchers from different countries and continents, especially Latin America, Europe and Asia. We dreamed through the First European Summer School on Solidary Economy, with the power of a common agenda that brought to the surface the numerous economic initiatives organized collectively by the citizens themselves. They are diverse experiences in an urban or rural environment that rekindle or recreate community practices, evoke other temporalities and rhythms, form new sociabilities, and value community knowledge linked to the material production of life.

In these ten years, we have accomplished many things that we could not even imagine. The balance seems to imply that, although we are still a small group, we have built a path worthy of note. So far, 146 events have been organized, including thematic seminars, conferences, round tables, support to exchange markets and talk wheels, as well as the 1^st Summer School, with participants from different countries and continents.

We take pride in trying to epistemologically broaden the theoretical framework of the Solidarity Economy in our events and academic meetings, contributing contributions that intervene and enrich it. Among the theoretical contributions we discussed, we would like to highlight rural studies, commons, Feminist Economies and Southern feminisms, postcolonial and decolonial theories, epistemologies of the South, Community Economies, contributions from the Movement of Transition, among other perspectives.

It is in this sense that we invite everyone and everyone to join the Ecosol-CES Group these days. We will take stock of these 10 years that have passed and we will think about the next 10 that will come, collectively planning the future that is now beginning.

Registration is free, but mandatory.