Restoring dialogue and deliberation in contemporary society

Roundtable organized by the FMSH, Reset Dialogues on civilizations and the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation’s Delegation in France as part of the one-day conference The Fragility of Democracy: Rescuing Dialogue and Deliberation.

The public sphere has suffered from ever increasing sectarianism combined with a lack of initiative -- by lawmakers, media and technology firms -- to curtail the dissemination of misinformation and violent language. Voters feel increasingly alienated from decision-makers, opening the field to firebrand rhetoric and policies and further limiting the space for democratic deliberation. Steps are being taken to regain some lost ground. Are such efforts too little, too late? As sectarian echo-chambers become ever more cavernous, how can discourse be brought back to reason?

Drawing on perspectives from political science, the media, civil society, and those who themselves have occupied policy-making roles, this roundtable will tackle the issues currently facing those in power and shed some light on possible solutions for bridging the current discursive chasm that is plaguing democracy.

With Alberto Alemanno (HEC / The Good Lobby), Craig Calhoun (Arizona State University), Annabelle Lever (SciencesPo), Christophe Deloire (Reporters Sans Frontières), Sylvie Goulard (Banque de France*), Jonathan Laurence (Boston College / Reset Dialogues US)

Register online
simultaneous English-French translation will be available

*Speaking in a personal capacity

• Watch the replay of the public roundtable

Online conferences The Fragility of Democracy: Rescuing Dialogue and Deliberation

This roundtable is a part of The Fragility of Democracy: Rescuing Dialogue and Deliberation conferences, organized in collaboration with Reset Dialogues on Civilizations and the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation’s Delegation in France. This day-long conference aim to set an agenda to craft solutions for overcoming the biggest threats to our public discourse

• Consult the program

*Participation in this event is conditional on event registration and to the green pass control in accordance with decree No. 2021-1059 of August 7, 2021. The personal data collected is not kept by the FMSH.