Deliberative Cultures. (February 2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Sass, Jensen; Dryzek, John S.
• Is Part Of: Political theory. Volume 42:Number 1(2014:Feb.)
• Page Start: 3
• Page End: 25
• Publication Date: 2014-02
• Subjects: deliberative democracy -- political culture -- intersubjective conception of culture -- communicative norms; Political science -- Periodicals; Science politique -- Périodiques; 320.05
• DOI: 10.1177/0090591713507933
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0090-5917

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.