UC EVENTS

5 December 20237:00 PM – 8:00 PM (AEDT) 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM (CET)8:00 AM – 9:00 AM (GMT)AbstractPretending in politics is viewed with suspicion. But in our paper, we want to identify and articulate the positive contributions of pretending and pretence in democratic life. Taking inspiration from Richard Sennett's observation that the presentation of a mask can enable the exercise of 'creative powers... the powers of play', we develop several ways in which such 'powers of play' can contribute to, and be supported by, democratic practices. We will discuss the importance of maintaining a distance from the self for reasons of protection; pretending for the purposes of emphasising differences of opinion (devil’s advocate, role-playing in deliberation); as a way of adopting another's perspective; and as a way of enhancing or diminishing the adversarial dimensions of political interaction; and more. We aim thereby to develop an account of good democratic performance, including performance that appears to be bad but might in fact be good, and to distinguish it from the un-and-anti democratic uses of persona and performance that motivate the widespread suspicion with which we began.This seminar will be chaired by Simon Niemeyer.About the authorsAlfred Moore is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Politics at the University of York. He is the author of ‘Critical Elitism: Deliberation, Democracy, and the Politics of Expertise’ (2017, Cambridge University Press), and has written widely on the politics of expertise. His work engages a wide range of themes in contemporary democratic theory, including anonymity and deliberation, and democratic non-participation. In 2020 and 2021, he held a British Academy Mid-Career Fellowship for the project ‘Rethinking Political Competition,’ and he is currently researching the role of ideas of competition in democratic theory and practice.Michael Mackenzie is Jarislowsky Chair in Trust and Political Leadership at Vancouver Island University. He was previously Associate Professor at the University of Pittsburgh and has researched and written widely on democratic theory and practice. His recent publications include ‘Future Publics: Democracy, Deliberation, and Future-Regarding Collective Action’ (2021, Oxford University Press), and ‘Democracy and the Future: Future-Regarding Governance in Democratic Systems,’ edited with M. Setälä and S. Kyllönen (2023, Edinburgh University Press).

6TH DELIBERATIVE DEMOCRACY SUMMER SCHOOL7-9 February 2024Centre for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance, University of CanberraWe live in a time of global challenges including the climate emergency, pandemics and populism. Deliberative democracy leads the way towards mending and transforming societies. It inspires us to listen to fellow citizens and to nature. Deliberative transformations build the path towards democratic and sustainable futures.The 6th Deliberative Democracy Summer School brings together postgraduate students and early career researchers with leading scholars in the field. It provides a unique opportunity to discuss emerging themes, empirical findings and methodological innovations in deliberative democracy research. Participants will have the opportunity to present their work on a wide range of topics including – but not limited to – deliberative systems, mini-publics, social movements, transnational deliberation, non-human deliberation and feminist and decolonial deliberation.Participation is free of charge. Limited financial support for overseas travel is available.Deadline for applications is 30 June 2023. SPEAKERSMelissa Williams | University of TorontoYves Sintomer | Paris 8 UniversityAndré Bächtiger | University of StuttgartCarolyn Hendriks | Australia National UniversityMarina Lindell | Åbo AkademiMaija Setälä | University of TurkuHans Asenbaum, Nicole Curato, John Dryzek, Selen A Ercan, Jordan McSwiney, Simon Niemeyer, and Adele Webb | University of Canberra