Unpacking the Diversity of “Places Left Behind”
TRANSITION Talk with Anja Jørgensen, Aalborg University.
What does it really mean to be “left behind”? And why are some communities better able to mobilise collective strength than others, even under similar structural pressures?
In this TRANSITION Talk, Anja Jørgensen, Professor of Urban Sociology at Aalborg University, challenges one-size-fits-all narratives by examining how social networks, local traditions, and historical trajectories shape resilience and renewal in post-industrial and rural contexts.
Drawing on fieldwork from Morsø and Frederikshavn in Denmark—conducted as part of the Horizon Europe project EXIT—the talk contrasts community-driven initiatives with externally supported development strategies. It highlights how local capacity, participation, and identity can transform the experience of being left behind into new forms of collective agency and place-based innovation.
Bio
Anja Jørgensen is Professor of Urban Sociology at Aalborg University and heads the research group Sociological Mapping (SocMap). Her work examines spatial inequality, community life, and the social dynamics of place-based development across urban and rural contexts. She has led major international projects, including EXIT (Horizon Europe) and COHSMO (Horizon 2020), investigating how welfare infrastructures, participation, and local belonging shape responses to economic and demographic change.
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