Nobody Said it Was Easy

Abstract

Theorizing the Authentic" was intended to be a synthesis of the civic engagement, deliberative democracy, and discourse theory literatures to evaluate and highlight the points I thought were missing or being overlooked or assumed. At the time, I was taking a critical and reflective approach to the issue and as a result specified few answers. My idea was to instead open up the conversations and challenge those of us interested in democratic governance to do the same. As a result, the Miller (2005) and McSwite (2005) responses have done what I asked others to do in my original article: interrogate positions and the implications and oversights that may arise as a result of them. I am thankful to have the opportunity through Disputatio Sine Fine to continue and expand on this conversation. The process of creating my own response has forced me to push beyond my comfort zone as a critical theorist to really construct, develop, and