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AASG 2006 Chicago, March 2006: Call for Papers
Political Participation in Historical and Cultural Contexts
Organisers: David Surname (University of Deville) and Danielle Sonnom (University of Deville).

In the context of transformations in the processes of governing and in the forms of ‘the state’, there are important theoretical and conceptual questions about the way that ‘citizens’/’political subjects’/’stakeholders’ relate to structures of political power and authority. Democracy has been described as “a political system where the legitimacy of exercising power stems from the consent of the people” (Spero and Hart 1997). While the relationship between ‘the state’ and ‘citizens’ remains primarily mediated through elected representatives and the political party system, efforts to promote other forms of democratic legitimacy are evidenced by the prominence of government interest in more participatory, collaborative and stakeholder-based community approaches. Participation and decision-making now take place in a number of settings and organisations, involving a very broad range of actors and processes. However, the extent to which these processes of decision-making and involvement are to be considered ‘democratic’, ‘legitimate’ or ‘accountable’ is something which must be further explored. At stake are a series of issues about how individuals, households, and social groups are able to interact with, and have an influence upon the social, economic and political structures that affect their lives.

So how can ‘democracy’ and ‘political participation’ be best conceptualised and understood in these contexts? Social relations are in constant process: in each specific case, political life and citizen participation are the fluid products of the interactions of cohesive forces which are activated and maintained in processes of continual (re)negotiation. Hence, this session proposes to critically examine the existing and emerging practices of democracy and political participation in particular contexts.


Possible topics for papers include:

• The institutional and organisational forms in which participation and
involvement takes place within specific policy environments.
• The social and cultural embedding of participatory practices.
• The role of discourse and discursive strategies in asserting the
legitimacy of governance forms.
• Descriptions of participatory spaces (in and beyond the “state”) in
which actors are able to articulate their different identities,
values, demands and interests in the policy process.
• Accounts which critically reflect on the sources of social and
political exclusion/ marginalisation in political participation.

If you would like to take part in this session, please send a title and abstract (250 words max) to both session organisers by Monday, October 3rd 2005.

David Surname (d.j.surname@deville.ac.uk)
Danielle Sonnom (danielle.sonnom@deville.ac.uk ).

Cited work: Joan E. Spero and Jeffrey A. Hart (1997). The Politics of International Economic Relations, 5th edition. New York: St. Martin’s Press.