Abstract
Increasing interest in applying the theory and practice of deliberative
democracy to new and varied political contexts leads us to ask whether
or not deliberation is a universal political practice. While deliberation
does manifest a universal competence, its character varies substantially
across time and space, a variation partially explicable in cultural terms. We
deploy an intersubjective conception of culture in order to explore these
differences. Culture meets deliberation where publicly accessible meanings, symbols, and norms shape the way political actors engage one another in discourse. Fuller understanding of political deliberation requires comparative and historical studies of particular contexts. We look at one case from Egypt in some depth and provide shorter illustrations from Botswana, Europe, India, Japan, Madagascar, the United States, Yemen, and elsewhere. Cross-cultural learning can enrich the theory of deliberative democracy, and give democratic theory a more universal reach.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 3-25 |
Number of pages | 23 |
Journal | Political Theory |
Volume | 42 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2014 |