Participation as assemblage: Looking at developments in democratic innovations through an assemblage perspective

This article introduces assemblage theory as a theoretical frame and analytical lens to study democratic innovations and capture the dynamism and complexity of democratic innovations. Assemblage theory places emphasis on non-linearity, contingency, situatedness and relationality. We argue that an assemblage perspective can further understanding of how different participatory spaces and practices coexist, interact, and change, as assemblages of various human, non-human and material elements. Assemblage can help pay attention to how participatory processes embed in new contexts and the level of disruption they might generate. It supports a pragmatic research agenda grounded in fine-grained analysis of the temporality and emergence of participation, focusing on processes that lead to (dis)embeddedness of a participatory culture and conditions that affect capacities for participation. In this way, it can inform approaches to democratic innovations that are sensitive to contextual factors, promoting a diversity of participatory practices to strengthen inclusivity.