More than Words: A Multidimensional Approach to Deliberative Democracy

• Published in: Political studies Vol. 70; no. 1; pp. 153 - 172
• Main Authors: Mendonça, Ricardo Fabrino, Ercan, Selen A, Asenbaum, Hans
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London, England SAGE Publications 01-02-2022; Sage Publications Ltd
• Subjects: Aspiration; Citizen participation; Communication; Deliberative democracy; Democracy; Multidimensional approach; Nonverbal communication; Public sphere; image; public sphere; deliberative democracy; sound; non-verbal communication
• ISSN: 0032-3217; 1467-9248
• DOI: 10.1177/0032321720950561

Since its inception, a core aspiration of deliberative democracy has been to enable more and better inclusion within democratic politics. In this article, we argue that deliberative democracy can achieve this aspiration only if it goes beyond verbal forms of communication and acknowledges the crucial role of non-verbal communication in expressing and exchanging arguments. The article develops a multidimensional approach to deliberative democracy by emphasizing the visual, sonic and physical dimensions of communication in public deliberation. We argue that non-verbal modes of communication can contribute to public deliberation when they (1) are used as part of reason-giving processes, (2) enable the inclusion of marginalized actors in public debates and (3) induce reflection and encourage new ways of thinking about the public controversies at hand.