Cittadinanzattiva

The chapter is contained in an edited volume devoted to the results of a MIUR national research on the role of civil society organizations in the current process of Europeanization; in particular, it outlines and discusses the historical evolution, organizational structure, cultural dimensions and institutional initiatives of the Italian Association “Cittadinanzattiva”. The result is a mixed picture, in which the association’s strategies toward the socio-political construction of Europe seem to be implemented through a unique balance between, on the one hand, a dynamic openness to context needs and partnership building and, on the other hand, the constant reference to a traditional organizational identity internally perceived as strongly alternative and avant-garde.