A Realising Just Cities Project
In many communities in Greater Manchester, traditional ways of getting involved in politics including voting engage only the minority. The 2017 election of Greater Manchester’s first Mayor, for example, attracted a turnout of only 27%. Low and declining levels of formal political participation have caused much concern. This Jam and Justice project engaged with this debate from the starting point that focusing on apathy limits our understanding of why people may not engage in politics; and, that looking only at formal political participation may miss out important forms of everyday politics in Greater Manchester.
Read what our community researchers discovered about "Everyday Politics":
Wider research identifies ‘everyday makers’ as an important new form of everyday politics. By ‘everyday maker’, we mean people who get involved in local and concrete projects with a DIY-ethos, which make a real difference to people’s lives and the benefit the local community. Everyday makers are well-known, well-networked and trusted in their communities, working either as part of a community-led action group or by themselves, but they are not connected with formal politics.
Starting from an understanding that politics is not limited to formal processes, The System Doesn’t Work project put everyday makers at the heart of politics in our city-region. In order to better understand, value and make visible everyday politics in Greater Manchester, over six months, this project sought to:
The resulting Everyday Politics exhibition has toured community centres in and around Greater Manchester. (See the events pages.) A companion booklet can be downloaded on this website.
If you have questions about this Jam and Justice project, email our ARC members: Catherine Durose, Sarah Whitehead and Amanda Bickerton.
