Subject Positioning and Deliberative Democracy: Understanding Social Processes Underlying Deliberation

Sharing linked data sets for research: results from a deliberative public engagement event in British Columbia, Canada

“…Participants had the opportunity to ask questions immediately after the presentations, during the deliberation, and at a panel discussion where all the speakers answered questions. Some presenters observed, but none participated in the deliberations, as mixing lay and expert voices can potentially marginalize the views of non-experts [29]. After the first day, the research team answered new questions that emerged or provided additional information when it was requested.…”

“No quiero que usted sea asi”. Macro y micro discursos que posicionan a los sujetos laborales que trabajan en las calles de Bogotá

“…Por esto, a partir de Davies y Harré (1999) y Harré et al (2009), en este estudio se asume la subjetividad del trabajador como la manera en que los trabajadores se posicionan e interpretan sus propias experiencias y acciones, y de los patrones discursivos como patrones de normas que se empleen para dar sentido a sus acciones y a las de otros. Para asumir estas posiciones de sujeto, los trabajadores utilizan los discursos disponibles en el contexto, los cuales les señalan lo que es o no adecuado para ellos como trabajadores, lo que pueden o no reclamar o ser tomado para construirse y a la vez desplazarse entre diferentes posiciones de sujeto en su vida cotidiana (O'Doherty & Davidson, 2010). La subjetividad laboral se forja como una forma de actuar y de relacionarse en espacios laborales (Gutiérrez-Lozano, 2006).…”

Explosives, Genomics, and the Environment

“…After the 1st day, the research team acted as liaison between participants and the expert speakers when new questions emerged or additional information was requested. Expert speakers did not participate in the actual deliberations as mixing lay and expert voices in deliberation has been shown to potentially marginalize the views of nonexperts (Kerr, Cunningham-Burley, & Tutton, 2007; see also O'Doherty & Davidson, 2010). The four speakers provided information and perspectives on 1. why RDX is an environmental problem, and the currently available remediation strategies, including the advantages and disadvantages of each strategy; 2. the (Canadian) provincial and federal regulations that might come to bear on RDX use and remediation, focusing on the complexity of various interdependent sets of legislation and the lack of clarity regarding precisely which regulations might be the most relevant to the use of RDX and responsibilities for cleanup; 3. the science behind understanding the role of soil microbes responsible for biodegrading RDX; and 4. source water protection, the relative impact of various human activities on water quality, and avenues for managing water pollution.…”