08/08/2026
Meet the speakers | Semi-Plenary 2
Rural Discontent and the New Rural Question: Rethinking Democracy in Europe
Rural Europe is undergoing profound social, economic, demographic and environmental transformations. Semi-Plenary 2 revisits the “rural question” from a sociological perspective, examining inequalities, resilience, democratic participation and the ways rural communities are responding to ecological and social change.
Chairs: Loukia Maria Fratsea | Harokopio University of Athens, Greece, and Tiziana Nazio | University of Turin, Italy
From Land to People: Inequalities, Vulnerabilities and Justice in Rural Europe by Apostolos G. Papadopoulos | Harokopio University of Athens, Greece
Papadopoulos is Professor of Rural Sociology and Geography at Harokopio University of Athens and Coordinator of ESA RN38 ‘Space, Society, and Rurality’. He is also co-Editor-in-Chief of Sociologia Ruralis. His research addresses rural and agricultural transformations, demographic change, migrant labour, social inequalities, mobility and sustainable rural development.
Rural Futures in a Changing Europe: Nurturing Community Resilience by Ruth McAreavey | Newcastle University, UK
McAreavey is a sociologist whose research focuses on migration, social justice, governance and inequalities in rural and peripheral regions. Her work explores how communities and institutions respond to social and economic change and contribute to more resilient and inclusive rural futures. She is co-Editor-in-Chief of Sociologia Ruralis and an elected member of the Academy of Social Sciences.
In the Shadow of Crisis: Everyday Democracy in Rural Poland through the Lens of Formal and Informal Civic Activity by Katarzyna Zajda | University of Lodz, Poland
Zajda is Associate Professor at the University of Lodz and Head of the Social Innovation Centre and the Department of Rural, Urban, and Social Change Sociology. Her research focuses on civic activity, social innovation and local governance, with particular attention to community-led approaches to rural development.
Co-organised by:
Polskie Towarzystwo Socjologiczne / Polish Sociological Association ; Wydział Socjologii Uniwersytet Warszawski ; SGGW / Warsaw University of Life Sciences ; Uniwersytet Kardynała Stefana Wyszyńskiego ; Uniwersytet Civitas ; Akademia Pedagogiki Specjalnej im. Marii Grzegorzewskiej Akademia Leona Koźmińskiego - Kozminski University ; Uniwersytet SWPS
