Contents:

1. Introduction

2. Discourse and Deliberative Processes in the Public Sphere

3. The Politics of Difference

4. Authoritarian Discourse and Deliberation

5. Authoritarian Difference

6. Conclusion

Abstract:

This article explores how discourse, deliberation and difference functions in an authoritarian environment, with an emphasis on the experiences of contemporary China. The article articulates why authoritarian discourse and deliberation is more limited than its Western democratic counterpart. It further suggests that the incorporation of difference into authoritarian discourse and deliberation is difficult due to the inherent tensions between the ‘Other’ and the ruling elite in authoritarian polities. Nevertheless, these constraints do not invalidate the notion that public discourse and deliberation is theoretically possible and has a practical function in authoritarian regimes.

Citation:

Hasmath, R. (2023) “Discourse, Deliberation and Difference in an Authoritarian Public Sphere”, Journal of Deliberative Democracy 19(1): 1-10.

Available in Chinese, French, German and Russian:

独裁公共领域中的话语, 商议和差异

Débats, Délibérations et Divergences dans une Société Publique Autoritaire

Diskurs, Deliberation und Differenz in einem Autoritären Öffentlichen Raum

Дискурс, дискуссия и различия в авторитарной публичной сфере