This article proposes a new theoretical approach for the study of social innovation processes promoted by civil society actors in the public sphere, based on French pragmatic sociology. It begins with a discussion about the current place of civil society initiatives in public action. Debate about civil society involvement in the public sphere is then explored, showing to what extent the French pragmatic sociology can provide a new understanding of this process. Finally, an analytical perspective is proposed, which relates the discussions about collective action of civil society, social innovation and public action, presenting some assumptions that can help to better comprehend processes of co-definition and co-dominium of problematic situations in public arenas.
Keywords:
social innovation; civil society; public arenas; pragmatic sociology; actor-network theory; sociology of public problems