
Deliberative Democracy and Social Movements
Transition Initiatives in the Public Sphere
Andrea Felicetti(Author)
Rowman & Littlefield International (Publisher)
Published on 18. May 2018
Book
Paperback/Softback
240 pages
978-1-78660-165-0 (ISBN)
Description
Deliberative democracy is increasingly central in democratic theory and its concepts are employed in a growing number of fields, including social movement studies and environmental politics. At the same time, contemporary citizen activism seems to feature some forms of engagement that resonate with deliberative democratic ideas.
This book provides an in-depth investigation of the qualities of citizens' engagement from a deliberative democratic standpoint. The key concept through which such qualities are investigated is 'deliberative capacity', the extent to which organisations host authentic, inclusive, and consequential discursive processes. This book is based on a comparative study of four grassroots local initiatives, two from Australia (in Tasmania and Queensland) and two from Italy (in Emilia-Romagna and Sicily).
By offering a critical assessment of deliberation in social movement organisations, this study identifies key aspects affecting their ability to pursue democratic deliberation and sheds new light on the role of community actors in deliberative democracy.
This book provides an in-depth investigation of the qualities of citizens' engagement from a deliberative democratic standpoint. The key concept through which such qualities are investigated is 'deliberative capacity', the extent to which organisations host authentic, inclusive, and consequential discursive processes. This book is based on a comparative study of four grassroots local initiatives, two from Australia (in Tasmania and Queensland) and two from Italy (in Emilia-Romagna and Sicily).
By offering a critical assessment of deliberation in social movement organisations, this study identifies key aspects affecting their ability to pursue democratic deliberation and sheds new light on the role of community actors in deliberative democracy.
Reviews / Votes
Integrating deliberative democratic theory and empirical analysis, Deliberative Democracy and Social Movements offers a fresh analysis of the Transition movement through case studies in Australia and Italy. Felicetti methodically and contextually examines the deliberative capacity of each case study in terms of authenticity, inclusivity, and social impact. In so doing the book represents a significant advance in both deliberative democratic theory and social movement analysis of sustainability oriented active citizenship initiatives. Deliberative Democracy and Social Movements is a pioneering study, the first attempt to map and conceptualise 'deliberative opportunity structures' and deliberative capacity. -- John Barry, Queens University Belfast Andrea Felicetti finds a potential for public deliberation within social movements seeking to forestall climate change through community activism. This 'Transition' movement can, at times, create authentic, inclusive, and consequential spaces for public debate. By studying four cases with varied results, Felicetti helps us see how social movements can dovetail with the more abstract aims of deliberative democracy to transform simultaneously environmental policy and politics itself. -- John Gastil, co-author of Legislature by lot: Transformative Designs for Deliberative Governance Andrea Felicetti has used a rare combination of theoretical frameworks and qualitative research to produce something that few other works on deliberative democracy can offer: real guidance for activists who want to be both democratic and effective, and real-world tests of theorists' ideals. This book will be valuable not only to deliberative democrats, but social movement scholars and activists alike. -- John Parkinson, Professor of Politics, Griffith UniversityMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Target group
Professional and scholarly
US School Grade: From College Junior to College Graduate Student
Illustrations
11 b/w illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 14 mm
Weight
399 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-78660-165-0 (9781786601650)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Andrea Felicetti
Deliberative Democracy and Social Movements
Transition Initiatives in the Public Sphere
E-Book
12/2016
1st Edition
Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
€42.49
Available for download
Person
Andrea Felicetti is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences, Center on Social Movement Studies (COSMOS), Scuola Normale Superiore, Italy.
Content
Introduction / 1. Deliberative Capacity: From Deliberative Theory to Democratic Life / 2. Transition from a Deliberative Democratic Perspective / 3. Case Study: Transition Connor / 4. Case Study: Notari Citta di Transizione / 5. Case Study: Transition Dickson Hills / 6. Vaiai in Transizione / 7. Comparative Findings / 8. The Drivers of Deliberative Capacity / 9. Conclusions / Bibliography / Index