https://theloop.ecpr.eu/democratic-vernacular-language-diversity-democracy/
Democracy, writes Nathan Pippenger, "involves a kind of cultural aspiration wrapped up in words and meanings."
But "[h]ow can this distinctive way of living together include all citizens when the demos comprises such different groups?"
The answer that Pippenger provides to this question is thrilling. He follows Ralph Ellison's example to argue that to understand a diverse community's democracy - and democratic aspirations - we need to examine its common talk.
"Ellison", Pippenger writes, "did not naively believe that the vernacular process would automatically resolve complex questions that arise in culturally diverse democracies. But his writings offer an account of how certain virtues of artistic and political importance — such as creativity, aesthetic sensitivity, and openness to novelty — can help citizens overcome social barriers without resorting to assimilation. In this way, he believed, the everyday workings of language and culture might promote a shared democratic life."
What would you say is your community's aspiration for democracy? And how did you get there through your understanding of the common talk around you?
https://theloop.ecpr.eu/democratic-vernacular-language-diversity-democracy/
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