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P01


Beyond public reason: the emergence of non-liberal public spheres 
Convenors:
Charis Boutieri (King's College London)
Sami Everett (University of Southampton)
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Chair:
Erica Weiss (Tel Aviv University)
Discussant:
Dimitrios Theodossopoulos (University of Kent)
Format:
Panel

Short Abstract:

This panel explores political and moral grammars beyond the liberal framework. Interest in this topic was sparked by our observation of 1) resistance to the exclusionary practices of the liberal public sphere 2) alternative efforts to organise the public sphere and political life.

Long Abstract:

The struggle to define the terms of political engagements, to understand what it means to disagree well, or, in the classical formulation, for reasonable people to disagree reasonably, is faced by many societies. What are the communicative conditions and legitimate genres for public deliberation? What are the acceptable political cultures of democracy? How do non-liberal practices of deliberation probe our visions of democratic governance and life?

For decades, the idea of public reason has been hegemonic in Western policy circles. Deriving from a liberal theorizing of the public sphere, largely from the work of John Rawls and Jurgen Habermas, this dominant framework provides a neutral and universal platform for all to participate in the public deliberation. It argues that, in theory, everyone can use public reason. But in practice, many have found that its conditions of participation are exclusionary of different groups on the basis of culture-gender-religion-race-class and more.

Anthropology has contributed greatly to revealing these implicit norms that are often only visible from the perspectives of those whose participation is blocked. In this panel, we turn again to the generative theoretical potential of ethnography to consider alternatives to liberal public reason. We highlight grassroots experimentations in alternative configurations of public rationality and communication. Even if, historically, ideologically diverse non-liberal movements have avoided full participation in a deliberative democratic process, many no longer accept being sidelined. Thus avoidance has given way to creativity; groups or communities are asking how they too may be accommodated in the political process.

Accepted papers:

 
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