Activism, Inclusion, and the Challenges of Deliberative Democracy

By Anna Drake
Categories: Political Science, Political Theory
Publisher: UBC Press
Hardcover : 9780774865166, 296 pages, March 2021
Paperback : 9780774865173, 296 pages, March 2022
Ebook (PDF) : 9780774865180, 296 pages, March 2021
Ebook (EPUB) : 9780774865197, 296 pages, March 2021

Table of contents

Introduction

1 Deliberation, Power, and Institutional Design

2 Inclusion and Democracy

3 Activism and Democratic Contestation

4 The Limits of Activist Participation

5 Activism-as-Deliberation

6 Deliberative Polities

Conclusion

Notes; Bibliography; Index

Description

Deliberative democracy – whereby people debate competing ideas before agreeing upon political action – must rest on its capacity to include all points of view. But how does this inclusive framework engage with activism that occurs in opposition to deliberative systems themselves? Through the examples of ACT UP, Black Lives Matter, and other contemporary activist movements, Activism, Inclusion, and the Challenges of Deliberative Democracy explores the systemic oppression that prevents activists from participating in deliberative systems as equals. Anna Drake concludes that only by addressing activism separately and on its own terms can we acknowledge its distinct democratic contribution.

Reviews

When many are considering the value in and strategy for engaging with ones' political opponents, this book offers the beginning of a model.

- Lesley J. Wood, York University