Creative resistance. Cultural practices, artistic activism and counter-hegemonic narratives on diversity

Through different perspectives and disciplines, this special issue explores how media, arts and culture can address transcultural dialogues, foster counter-hegemonic recognition and offer critical reflections on diversity, identity and belonging. The introductory essay aims at explaining how different forms of artistic, mediatic and cultural production can sustain or confront innovative paths for resistance and participation in an increasing diverse society. This means not only to challenge structural hegemonic discourses that de-humanize those who do not have the right to speak, but also to build unconventional forms of participation in the public sphere and open new places of mutual recognition. After a reflection on arts and culture as participation and resistance, the essay presents the articles included in this special issue through the lens of the «practice architectures». We adopt this framework as a roadmap to explore how different cultural practices are formed through the encounters between practitioners, and being enabled or constrained by direct actions, social relations and discourses. The aim is to show how cultural processes and practices can generate alternative imaginaries, foment forms of decoloniality, and opening new possibilities of collective resistance.