Most theorists of deliberative democracy treat deliberation as a procedure in decision-making. This approach neglects an important phase oriented not so much to decision-making but to social learning and understanding. Combining deliberative theory with research from social psychology, Bora Kanra has developed an innovative critique and synthesis by allocating social learning its own formal sphere. For deliberative democracy to produce better outcomes, decision-making needs to be reinforced by opportunities for social learning.

Stressing the importance of the development of democratic dialogue in divided societies, Kanra tests his claims of a new deliberative framework by analyzing interaction between Islamic and secular discourses in the Turkish public sphere. This in-depth analysis of converging and diverging political beliefs and traditions between seculars and Islamists emphasizes the importance of social learning in a sharply divided society.

A groundbreaking and illuminating insight into the prospects for democratic development in Turkey, Islam, Democracy and Dialogue in Turkey reveals an emerging dynamic in Turkish politics representing a new opening in political practice.

Contents: Introduction; Deliberation as social learning; Background to the case of Turkey; The Q study; Discourse analysis; Discourse comparison; Prospects for new forms of cooperation; Further reflections on social learning; Conclusion; Appendix; Bibliography; Index.

About the Author: Bora Kanra is ARC Australian Postdoctoral Fellow at the Australian National University, Australia

Reviews: 'In this unusual work, which combines normative political theory with empirical opinion research and deliberative discourse analysis, Bora Kanra analyzes the major political divisions in Turkish society and comes to a surprising conclusion: on important issues such as human rights and the limits of state power, a strong convergence exists between the democratic new left and sectors of the Islamist movement in Turkey. Kanra argues that deliberative processes can help build convergences during the opinion formation stage in complex and strongly divided societies. A truly successful integration of empirical and theoretical research by a rising scholar of political theory.'
Seyla Benhabib, Yale University, USA

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Introduction

Index