CFP: Acting Democratically: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives on the Politics of Exclusion

Acting Democratically: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives on the Politics of Exclusion

6–7 February 2025

Sala de Juntas, Facultad de Filosofía y Letras, University of Málaga, Spain

Democracy is a political system designed to empower and give a voice to all citizens. Citizens are believed to exercise their power when voting, participating in public debates, or actively engaging in forms of civic activism and political advocacy. Those who have the opportunity to express their views and act politically, do so under the assumption that they are included in contemporary democracies and can influence political decision-making processes.

The idea of being included, however, inherently involves discourses and practices of exclusion. In effect, some individuals or groups are marginalized or left out of the political process, thus creating narratives about who is deemed a legitimate participant in the democratic system. Such narratives are flexible and contested, and topics such as discrimination because of race, gender, or disability are recurrently discussed, both in the past and at present.

Historically, theories of democracy, which encompass an understanding of the political agent, have often built upon racializing and gendered assumptions, either explicitly or implicitly, thereby shaping narratives of inclusion/exclusion. In present-day democracies, illiberal, racist and xenophobic rhetorics are on the rise, feeding the popularity of nationalist political parties and other political groups that undermine the idea of a liberal society. These debates redefine ideas

of inclusion and exclusion, revealing inherent tensions between democratic principles such as equality, representation and accountability. A growing number of philosophers are critically re- assessing the colonial, racial and other unequal tendencies of the legacy of the Western democratic theory and practice and working on including non-western and other previously marginalized traditions to the philosophical and political discussions.

For this in-person event we invite contributions addressing these topics from a variety of disciplines, including moral and political philosophy, political science, history, or international relations. Early career scholars are also welcome. The language of the workshop is English.

Kindly submit proposals (up to 150-word abstracts and contact details) before 27 September 2024 both to Malin Grahn-Wilder ([email protected]) and Rosario López ([email protected]) and. Participants will be notified of acceptance by 25 October 2024.

Keynote speaker:

Marta Araujo (University of Coimbra)

Organizers: Research Project Origins of Racializing Thought, University of Jyväskylä; Area of Moral and Political Philosophy, Department of Philosophy, University of Málaga

Convenors: Malin Grahn-Wilder (University of Jyväskylä) and Rosario López (University of Málaga)