Deliberative Democracy, Divided Societies, and the Case of Appalachia
Description:
Theories of deliberative democracy, which emphasize open-mindedness and cooperative dialogue, confront serious challenges in deeply divided political populations constituted by polarized citizens unwilling to work together on issues they collectively face. The case of mountaintop removal coal mining in Appalachia makes this clear. In my thesis, I argue that such empirical challenges are serious, yet do not compromise the normative desirability of deliberative democracy because communicative mec…
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Date:
August 2009
Creator:
Tidrick, Charlee
Partner:
UNT Libraries