This event is hybrid. Join us on Zoom or at Building 24, University of Canberra.
How should deliberative democracy respond to extremism?
Can deliberative democracy challenge macho populism? For Hans Asenbaum, the field of deliberative democracy may have come a long way in recognising female marginalisation, but it has so far neglected cisgender, heterosexual, masculinities. Only when deliberative democracy recognises such hegemonic identities can it challenge the heterosexist domination underpinning macho populism.
María Esperanza Casullo has a different take. For her, deliberative democracy can challenge macho populism by upholding the value of the most basic of human activities: talking. Macho populism seeks to define the simple act of talking as unproductive, decadent, in sum, feminine. It has a clear preference for supposedly masculine performances of aggression. Therefore, the act of deliberation itself has the potential to become the grounds for resistance.
Join the conversation with Hans Asenbaum and María Esperanza Casullo, moderated by Jordan McSwiney.
This event is part 7 of a 10-part seminar series on 10 Big Questions on Deliberative Democracy convened by Dr Adele Webb.
About the speakers
Hans Asenbaum is a Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance at the University of Canberra. His research interests include radical democracy, queer and gender studies, digital politics, and participatory research methods. Hans is the author of The Politics of Becoming: Anonymity and Democracy in the Digital Age (Oxford University Press, 2023). The book draws on queer theory to make sense of identity transformation in democracy. His work has been published in the American Political Science Review, Politics & Gender, and the Journal of Gender Studies.
María Esperanza Casullo is an Associate Professor at the National University of Rio Negro and a researcher at CONICET in Argentina. She obtained a PhD in political theory from Georgetown University. She has published extensively on democratic theory and populism. Her last published paper is "The populist body in the age of social media: A comparative study of populist and non-populist representation" in Thesis Eleven, in co-authorship with Rodolfo Colalongo.
Moderator
Jordan McSwiney is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at 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.