We are facing a time of profound political instability, environmental crisis and a clear distrust of the democratic system. In this situation, authoritarian positions appear to be gaining ground, promising hope and security in response to the uncertainty and precariousness of the present moment. The left’s traditional strategies have become obsolete, and the alternatives for new ecological transitions seem unconvincing to those who are largely excluded from the system. In this situation, the following special issue proposes local political prefiguration as (...) a democratic repertoire that allows us to act in the present in order to imagine the societies of tomorrow. Specifically, it presents three contributions from which to reflect on past and present political prefigurations, taking into account historical and contemporary forms of organisation and institutionalisation that envisage a new emancipatory order within and beyond the state. (shrink)