Society, Creativity and Uncertainty

The Research Group of the Zaragoza University

Allá donde está el peligro, crece también lo que salva.

Fiedrich Hölderlin

About us

The Research Group "Society, Creativity and Uncertainty" (GISCI in Spanish) was recognized by the Government of Aragon (a region of Spain) in 2020, although many of its members were already working in the same direction within the IG "Studies on Risk Society", constituted the year 2011 and which came to bring together 32 researchers. In turn, this IG was the descendant of another with the same name, created in 2005, re-founded in 2008 and whose PI was the Professor of Anthropology Gaspar Mairal Buil.

The Research Group "Society, Creativity and Uncertainty"

Experts in various fields

Currently GISCI is made up of 11 researchers from various fields

Meet the members

Sociología

Anthropology

Political Science

Law

Economics

Social Work

We are part of this experiment

David Pac	Investigador Principal
María Isabel Casas-Cortés	Co-investigadora Principal y Responsable de Relaciones Internacionales
José Angel Bergua	Responsible for National Projects
Juan Miguel Báez	Head of Web and Corporate Image
Jaime Minguijón	Head of Contracts and Agreements
Cristina Monge	Responsable de Medios de Comunicación
Pablo Sanz	Head of European Projects
Lorien Jiménez	Responsable de Redes Sociales
Diego Gastón
Amaya Gil
José David Moral
Amparo Gracia
Daniel Sorando
Laura Moya
Miguel Montañés

Our group

Our group starts from the fact that societies, despite the existence of different control, forecasting and security mechanisms, are installed in uncertainty, which tends to lead to situations of vulnerability. This occurs in relationships with nature, in the institutional or non-institutional ways of guaranteeing well-being (related to health, employment, housing, etc.), in governance styles and political participation, in labor relations, in the management of companies and in one's personal life too.

However, GISCI understands that this same uncertainty also causes, in all the areas mentioned, the appearance of initiatives of a creative nature, which are inextricably linked to vulnerability and cannot be explained without it. They are two sides of the same coin. For this reason, the verse of the German poet F. Hölderlin is our motto: “where danger is, what saves also grows”. This mysterium coniunctionis has been repeatedly evoked throughout human history. The myths of death and rebirth, the snake that devours itself or the figure of the androgynous are some of its representations. For this reason, our approach is rooted in the depths of human culture.

In relation to economics, we not only read current processes in terms of the creative economy or the precarious economy, but we also use a wide range of concepts, theories, methodologies, and data that point to a Precarious yet Creative Society. This same union of contradictory processes also occurs with respect to the Welfare State, the environment, the personal life o everyone and political action. In all these cases, uncertainty is not only synonymous with vulnerability, risk, or crisis, but, at the same time and at the same time, with resilience and creativity.

Lines of research

Creativity and vulnerability

With co-involvement included, are thus the two main lines of research at GISCI. However, each of these lines includes several sublines that also (re) unite the creative dimension and vulnerability.

Numerous national and international publications have resulted from our research activity, as well as a wide range of transfers. It has also given rise to regular collaborations with different institutions.

On the other hand, we are also opened to working with social movements, associations, pro-common experiences, and companies, as well as with any private or collective initiative that is interested in our approach.