Lucy J. Parry points out the exclusionary character of "mainstream" democratic theory. Parry writes:
"There is a disconnect between democratic innovations in academic research and practice. Hans Asenbaum and Friedel Marquardt have already pointed out that, to reinvigorate democracy, we need to engage with those who enact it outside academia in their day-to-day work and lives. Practitioners – including facilitators, designers, public servants, NGOs and consultants – have been somewhat neglected in this debate. Yet they are often on the frontline of democratic innovations, and their experience can greatly enhance our understandings of democracy."
For more, see: https://theloop.ecpr.eu/connecting-theory-to-the-messy-realities-of-democratic-innovations-in-practice/
I have discussed Parry's point on and off with colleagues since this essay was published and one of the recurring questions in these discussions is how to connect with practitioners.
Academics are trained in typically exclusive arts that rely on specializing in specific methodologies, adopting certain writing styles, using technocratic language, publishing in specialist outlets, and attending specialist events/developing specialist networks. This does not bode well for collaborating with experts who not only do none of these things but sometimes have little interest in the "high theory" that some democratic theorists promote.
What would be your suggestion for helping democratic theorists to connect with experts outside of academia?
https://theloop.ecpr.eu/connecting-theory-to-the-messy-realities-of-democratic-innovations-in-practice/
فكرة أن الديمقراطية تعني حكم الأغلبية بدون قود أو عقلانية فكرة قديمة بالية. سارتوري (1962، ص 460-461) قال إن "الديمقراطية لا معنى لها بدون الليبرالية". وبعد خمسين سنة، يردد بيثام (2004، ص 61-75) نفس الحجة: الديمقراطية والحرية لا ينفصلان. ويؤكد: "بدون حرية لا تو
Maybe not getting the point of the discussion right, but my suggestion (as a semi-theorist) would be: become a practitioner yourself, engage in democratic processes and prove that you have something valuable to say to non-theorists. This might sound odd, but let me give three examples.
- I have started to engage in hands-on seminars on participation and democracy. They include direct exchange with people from administrations, local governments and civil society on very specific and practical projects, like developing and implementing solutions for local welfare issues, such as preventing heat of floodings, providing green public spaces or making public space barrier-free. This was not only intriguing for students but also myself, as I learned more about how to translate theoretical insights in participatory democracy into applicable messages
- Being a part of a citizens' initiative that aimed a keeping a specific electoral system on local level made me think about pros and cons of different types of representation - spatial vs. proportional, personal vs. partisan, ... And as we had to convince a majority of our constituency, we had to translate the more abstract principles in easier language to use it in our campaign...
- Being a member of a local council also made me reflect our theories of democracy in the light of practical local politics.
I think many of us share such experiences, but sometimes hesitate to connect them with studying political / democratic theory systematically.
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