Care(full) Deliberation

Abstract

As adult educators, the perspectives of social and political theorists are important to consider as we seek to understand the challenges faced in educating for a postmodern conception of citizenship, including an increasing discourse of conflict arising from the politics of difference. The centrality of dialogue in community is a theme shared between adult learning theory, liberal democratic theory, and political deliberative models, all considered strategies for enhancing the capacity of the deliberative citizen. By deconstructing these models for their emphasis on rationality, and subsequently drawing on the work of feminist scholarship, the author theorizes the potential of emotional connection as central to adult educators’ practice and effective deliberation. It is postulated that this lack of attention to the emotive responses of individuals engaged in dialogue and deliberation has served to limit its theoretical and practical applications; the implications for a pedagogy for citizenship education are considered.

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