Talking power: Towards meaningful inclusion in public deliberation

Deliberative theories of democracy have garnered considerable attention in the field of political theory, as well as in other theoretical and practical arenas. While offering a compelling vision of democracy as inclusive and reasoned dialogue, deliberative democracy is heavily critiqued for glossing over the considerable power inequities that inevitably characterize the public sphere in modern democracies. While these critiques represent a theoretical stumbling block for deliberative theory; they also raise a red flag concerning the proliferation of deliberative forums and processes being implemented in real world setting. Considering the importance of inclusion for the legitimacy of public deliberation, it is paramount that researchers evaluate real-world deliberative processes through the lens of inclusion. Attempting to meet both a theoretical and a practical need, this dissertation uses a qualitative case study of one school district's deliberative process to draw conclusions about inclusion in public deliberation. This research highlights several important issues: the ways that power inequities unequally advantage different groups in the public sphere, the importance of group representation in encouraging the inclusion of marginalized communities; and the power of subaltern publics to empower representative of marginalized communities. The dissertation concludes by exploring the potential of inclusive deliberations to strengthen community in the current climate of consumerism and individuality in public education.