Karina Maldonado-Mariscal, TUDortmund, Social Research Center (sfs), Germany

This talk presents sociological reflections emerging from innovation research and my growing interest in critical perspectives, particularly exnovation studies. Bridging innovation research with socio‐ecological transitions, I will address three main topics.
1.Innovation Research: I will discuss social innovation ecosystems and examine the strong linkages between social innovation and social movements. Drawing on comparative perspectives from Latin America and Europe, I highlight divergent contextual approaches and collaborative practices across these regions.
2.Exnovation and Phase‐Out Dynamics: I will present theoretical developments positioning exnovation and Buen Vivir as North‐South alternative paradigms. This includes exploring social exnovation and exnovation trajectories, alongside planned research examining phaseout processes in specific sectors: new energy systems, mobility, digital technologies and practices, and food and consumption patterns.
3.Transformative Education: I will discuss research efforts toward transformative education, presenting examples such as the Labs4Change project, a collaboration between Germany and Canada, and initiatives integrating social innovation and circular economy principles into pedagogical practices