Dr. Patrik Zapata

Biography

Patrik Zapata is a Professor at the University of Gothenburg, specializing in socio-material organizing and public–urban governance. His research is focused on how organizing occurs in public institutions, particularly in urban environments and community settings. He examines the creation, maintenance, and challenge of collective resources through socio-material practices, emphasizing contexts characterized by informality, scarcity, and institutional ambiguity. A central theme of his work revolves around the democratic significance of everyday organizing, where democracy transcends formal institutions and becomes a practice enacted through participation and inclusion in daily life. His research explores how communities mobilize resources through waste management, repair, and circular practices, assert rights, and create inclusive pathways within the labor market using collaborative governance networks. Patrik has conducted extensive qualitative fieldwork in diverse locations, including Sweden, Latin America, East Africa, and Europe. He has published in several reputed journals, and his work contributes to advancing a socio-material practice-based perspective on public urban organizing, highlighting the evolving nature of institutions and communities in democratic processes.

Research Interests

Experience