The discussion around inclusive futures has become increasingly relevant for social and educational sciences over the last 50 years. The shift towards inclusion in the sense of social, ecological and economical as well as cultural sustainability is regarded as paradigmatic for our present age. Organizing Inclusion and sustainability becomes increasingly important for organizational education perspectives. Interorganizational cooperation, multi-stakeholder processes and multi-layered governance of educational and regional actors intends to lead into sustainability and social innovation strategies.

Seen from an organizational education research perspective, inclusive futures are to be addressed as organizing processes of communication and coordination between individuals, groups, organizations and networks. The term Social and Solidarity Economy covers organizations “that prioritize social and often environmental considerations over private economic interests and profit orientation; involve forms of management or governance which are more horizontal and democratic; and are often linked to forms of collective action and active citizenship.” (UNRISD, 2016, 17). It can insert life-centred norms and values into the economic sphere and countervail the lack of transparency, accountability, democracy and eco-social responsibility. The symposium “Inclusive Futures - Organizational Education Approaches to Sustainability, Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE) and societal Innovation” therefore reflects on the potential of networked engagements in a regional and global perspective. In an organizational education perspective it discusses the relationship between “inclusion” and “diversity” approaches and reflects on possible differences between “weak” and “strong” programs of inclusion.

The double-symposium in two sessions discusses theoretical concepts, empirical research and best practice models on the topic of inclusive futures and organizational education approaches:

Susanne Elsen (Bozen, Italy) brings in the perspective on new approaches to eco-social development. She addresses the vision and the real forms of “community- based Social and Solidarity Economy and regional Eco-System-Innovation. Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE) is a form of economy, which aims to achieve objectives other than monetary profit. It serves the needs and opportunities of life-worlds and is the spinal column of community resilience. It bases on voluntary association, cooperation, democratic governance and self-organization. Its potential lies in the extended life-world-logic of action following specific needs and in the effect that citizens’ engagement has on people’s life as well as on common concerns.

Henning Pätzold, Koblenz, Germany in his contribution “Beyond inside / outside? Systems thinking as a means to overcome the in-/exclusion dilemma” discusses theoretical perspectives on exclusion and inclusion and shows the specific perspective on exclusion and inclusion coming along with these less rigid perspectives on in-/exclusion. Emphasizing the aspect of temporality and providing elaborated perspectives to deal with paradoxes (which eventually go beyond the possibilities of classical logic, c.f. Klagenfurt 1995), Pätzold argues to implement systems thinking into organizational education. By this, the relationship between organization and socio-ecological development might be opened up and would not need to force (early) decisions about inclusion/exclusion.

Marc André Heidelmann and Susanne Maria Weber, Marburg, Germany theorize regional sustainability cycles and the question of inclusion and exclusion in a discourse theoretical perspective as cycles of powerknowledge involving economical rationalities, political rationalities, ecological rationalities,  educational and cultural rationalities.

Finally, Ruth Wouters, Leuven, Belgium discusses deliberative methods as a way to inclusiveness and the relevance of deliberative methods as a way to inclusiveness. She discusses the underlying assumptions and theoretical embeddings of deliberative methods in the light of inclusion and exclusion and in an organizational education perspective.

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