ABSTRACT
This chapter explores pathways to sustainable consumption by examining the role of research in engaging ordinary citizens in socio-ecological transitions. Building on Hybrid Forums, Utopia Workshops, and dialogic conversations, it reflects on the scientific posture in the Anthropocene, advocating for researchers to move beyond traditional academic frameworks toward active engagement in societal transformation. Drawing on thinkers like Karl Mannheim, Paul Ricœur, Ruth Levitas, and Michel Callon, the chapter emphasises participatory practices and democratic imagination as tools to inspire collective action and pluralist dialogue and criticise the actual food system through the lenses of Mariana Mazzucato and Philippe Descola.
The chapter introduces the Utopia Workshop and Hybrid Forum 2.0 as participatory methods that integrate local knowledge and lived experience with scientific expertise, and offers a user guide for researchers to replicate these approaches. Finally, it reflects on the potential of these methods to co-construct just and inclusive socio-ecological futures.
