Oppositional Discourses and Democracies (Routledge Studies in Social and Political Thought) - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0415803896 ISBN 13: 9780415803892

Publisher: Routledge, 2009

Synopsis

When citizens take to the streets or pack assembly halls or share their ideas through the minority press, they often give voice to truths and logic that have otherwise been given little or no airing through the available institutional channels offered by democratic states. Such discourses offer new rhetorical strategies for the expression of citizen desires, needs and emotions that otherwise go unrecognized and unaddressed. They also offer impetus for new forms of deliberation and informed action that can result in real political change. This collection explores the tensions between democratic states and the dynamics of citizen voice. In so doing, the collection addresses such questions as: What role do oppositional discourses play in increased democratization? Can oppositional discourses be sustained over time? How do states resist pressures to democratize? This volume will be of interest to students and scholars in Politics, Sociology, and Communication.

About this title

About the Author

Michael Huspek is Professor of Communication at California State University, San Marcos. He is the co-editor of Transgressing Discourses: Communication and the Voice of Other.

Edition details

• Publisher: Routledge
• Publication date: 2009
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0415803896
• ISBN 13: 9780415803892
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 272
• Editor: Huspek Michael