Toward Democratic Inclusion? Ideas of Public Deliberation and their Application to Contemporary Policy and Practice

November 7, 2013 - November 8, 2013
University of West Bohemia

Plzeň
Czech Republic

Speakers:

Gideon Calder
(unaffiliated)

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In contemporary debates about the quality of our existing democracies, the need for a greater democratic inclusiveness is among the most resonant issuues. Analyses of the exclusionary mechanisms of Western liberal democracies, originally introduced in critical theory, have found powerful, mainstream expressions in the ever-growing literature on deliberative theory – and specifically, the role of the critical public and civil society in democratic deliberation. To many, the deliberative model offers a cure for the weakened legitimacy of Western democratic systems. Hopes are high that by restoring critical public arenas and spaces for rational deliberation, citizens will reclaim their control of political decision-making – and ultimately make democracy stronger, more trustworthy, and stable in the eyes of whole society. Yet such accounts raise pressing questions and practical challenges related to the political, institutional, legal, and social implications of the deliberative model, in particular vis-à-vis potentially marginalized individuals or groups.

This inter-disciplinary conference will explore both the resources deliberative theory may provide, and its potential weaknesses when faced with the reality of politics and the complexity of contemporary societies, their plurality (in values, ethnicity and culture), their socio-economic inequalities, and the other forms of social division, stratification and disadvantage we find in them. A key focus will be on the possibilities and barriers surrounding the democratic inclusion of individuals and groups marginalized on basis of culture, ethnicity, religion, gender, economic inequality, or other forms of structural disadvantage.

The conference is open to interested journalists, civil servants, NGO workers, and students.

Conference language: English

There is no conference (registration) fee. Participants are expected to cover their travel and accommodation costs.

For further information please contact the organizer:
Lenka Strnadova
Katedra politologie a mezinarodnich vztahu
Zapadoceske university v Plzni
Avalon Business Center
Podebradova 2842/1
301 00 Plzen Czech Republic
E-mail: [email protected]

Web:

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