Very extensive discussion has developed around the concept of ‘civic/public engagement’ or ‘civic commitment’, with a great variety of definitions and theoretical approaches. The paper starts with a survey of the literature and of the ‘public commitment’ practices and policies currently pursued by many universities and then seeks to convey an idea of the huge quantity of this production of knowledge and experiences, highlighting at same time two possible interpretations. The focus is on the different ‘relationship architectures’ inside and outside universities which underlie public engagement experiences that are apparently similar to each other and also on the usefulness to interpretation and planning of an eye that seeks to grasp the differences and the great variety.
Keywords: Civic commitment; city-university; interaction