Dissemination

CIAC researchers take part in Knowledge Exchange Event

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Researchers Isabel Carvalho (CIAC/UAb) and Sílvia Leiria Viegas (CIAC/UAlg) are members of Working Group 2 (WG2) of Cost Action 22149 – Research Network for Interdisciplinary Studies of Transhistorical Deliberative Democracy (CHANGECODE). In this context, they will take part in the Knowledge Exchange Event and WG2 meeting to be held at the Universitat de les Illes Balears in Palma de Mallorca (Spain) on 28 and 29 April.

The event aims to explore the following topics: ‘Methods and approaches for researching deliberative democracy’, addressing, for example, how to integrate normative theory and empirical research, and the diversity of research methods; and ‘The impact of technology and art on deliberative practices’.

The main aim of the event is to systematise, conceptualise and update, from an epistemological point of view, theoretical and empirical knowledge about the influence of past deliberative practices on contemporary decision-making. With this emphasis, Action is placed at the heart of current debates on the potential role of deliberative democracy in stabilising social and political spheres, as well as in responding to contemporary challenges and risks. Action will highlight the human capacities to prevent conflict through deliberation and to make decisions on development issues through dialogue, placing them at the forefront of our research.

The Action will explore the relationships between past, present and future forms of deliberation, taking into account:

1. historical deliberative practices (diachronic aspects);

2. culture, cognition and narratives of legitimacy (synchronic aspects);

3. the objectives of deliberative democracy, defined as guiding principles designed to ensure the general well-being and positive development of society (integrative level).

In this sense, Ação aims to design a research framework that will allow its original concept and main method of study – trans-historical deliberative democracy – to be tested.

The Action will establish innovative collaborations with different types of stakeholders and create a fully open and flexible interdisciplinary international platform to discuss existing research approaches to decision-making, initiate new synergies and develop a set of tools and guidelines to enable policy-makers and other stakeholders to design and implement policies taking into account the impacts of deep-rooted patterns of deliberation at local, national and transnational levels.

The Action is designed to include young ICT researchers in interdisciplinary and international research environments.

Isabel Carvalho, Melis Cin (Lancaster University, UK), Slávka Kopčáková and Jana Migašová (Institute of Aesthetics and Art Culture, University of Prešov, Slovakia) will lead the Technology and Art on Deliberative Practices workshop. This workshop will explore the creation of formal and informal art spaces and art practices based on participatory methodologies that facilitate processes of deliberative democracy.

Sílvia Leiria Viegas will present part of her ongoing research work, Refugee Research for (Post)Covid-19. National Measures and Local Actions in the Algarve: A Digital Tour for Access to Adequate Housing and Living Conditions, related to access to housing and rural land in the Algarve by immigrants. His presentation Housing crisis and disadvantaged migrants in the Algarve. A digital approach for innovative deliberative practices, will focus on forms of civic engagement with an impact on the governance system and on digital tools with innovative potential for deliberative practices.

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