How should deliberative democracy respond to extremism?

How should deliberative democracy respond to extremism?

Far-right extremism threatens democracy by spreading exclusionary and anti-democratic ideals, such as white supremacy. How can deliberative democracy help us understand the roles of the media and political leaders in responding to the harms caused by extremist actors? What pragmatic solutions can deliberative processes offer, especially in countering extremism's personal and emotional appeals?

You are invited to join this conversation featuring Dr Jordan McSwiney (University of Canberra) and Prof John Gastil (Penn State University).

This seminar was chaired by Prof Selen Ercan.

This event is part 6 of a 10-part seminar series on 10 Big Questions on Deliberative Democracy convened by Dr Adele Webb.

About the speakers

Jordan McSwiney is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Centre for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance at the University of Canberra. He researches the far right, with a focus on the organisation and communication of far-right parties and movements. He is the author of Far-Right Political Parties in Australia: Disorganisation and Electoral Failure (Routledge).

John Gastil is a Professor at Penn State University. He has studied political psychology and democratic innovations for thirty years, and some of the reforms he has proposed became law. He received major funding to study attitude formation and how people revise their beliefs when invited into more deliberative political institutions and experiences.

Moderator

Selen Ercan is the Director of the Centre for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance at the University of Canberra.

Seminar Convener: Adele Webb
Online floor manager: Ferdinand Sanchez

All Centre seminars are recorded. To access the recording of our seminar series and other events, visit our YouTube channel.