Is the normative dimension of participation a specific phenomenon of western societies? Is it reasonable to suppose a fixed western model?
How does the concept of participation as a promise, claim and category of (self)representation of modern societies correlate with other normative and modern concepts such as freedom, equality, solidarity and human dignity etc.?
Which practices, narratives, myths and discourses etc. have contributed to the development of modern concepts of participation? Is it possible to locate ‘original’ concepts or initial acts of participation in history?
In which manner do norm and practice of social participation differ? Which roles do materiality and physicality play in this context?
Who are the actors of participation? What kind of (social) personae can be ascribed to those actors who defy it?
Who is excluded from the normative promise and claim of participation and how does this exclusion take place with regard to the intersectionality of identity dimensions such as gender, ethnicity, class?
Which different forms and concepts of participation (i.e., alternative, critical, dissent, deviant participation) exist and what could possibly undermine the dualism of participation and non-participation?
How can practices of self-empowerment/-submission be described regarding the positively charged references to concepts of participation? Under which circumstances does empowerment consist of/include the rejection of claims or offers of participation?
How do subjectivation, collectivization and socialization tie in to each other? What is the subject of participation?
Which economic dimensions does participation have? Which role does the access to capital and resources play for societal partaking and being part of society?
How do media and dispositives create specific forms and representations of participation and how can these dynamics and processes be described?
In which manners do forms of participation function within institutions and organizations and how do they correspond with other societal contexts?
Which function do (social) sciences have concerning the contradictory processes of modernization? How do normative and critical theories react to these challenges?
How do theories of democracy contribute to the discourse on participation? Do any blank spaces or blind spots exist?
How do different concepts of participation influence diagnostic representations of the present? Which knowledge can be gained through the analysis of the present?
