PhD Summary: Deliberative democracy amidst the Tower of Babel

Abstract

The thesis examines the role of language in deliberative democracy through multilingual citizens’ assemblies in Luxembourg, a multilingual society with many non-national residents lacking voting rights. While deliberative democracy values inclusivity, authenticity, and consequentiality, language’s influence on these principles is often overlooked. Most research emphasises deliberation quality but neglects how multilingualism affects who participates, how participation unfolds, the impact on participants, and public acceptability. Using a mixed-methods, mixed-epistemological case study of two assemblies – Biergerkommitee Lëtzebuerg 2050 and Klima Biergerrot – the dissertation explores experiences and attitudes toward multilingual processes. Applying an operational matrix based on input, throughput, and output legitimacy, it finds that these assemblies approximate deliberative ideals; namely, promoting inclusivity by embracing linguistic diversity, upholding authenticity through meaningful multilingual discussions, and enhancing consequentiality by enabling preference shifts and public support. However, linguistic diversity also introduces complexities, highlighting the need for further empirical research.