THE ROLE OF EMOTIONAL RELIGIOUS DISCOURSES IN DELIBERATIVE DECISION-MAKING AT LOCAL GOVERNANCE LEVEL
THE ROLE OF EMOTIONAL RELIGIOUS DISCOURSES IN DELIBERATIVE DECISION-MAKING AT LOCAL GOVERNANCE LEVEL

Summary/Abstract: Classical political research shows that the degree of democracy inside a local or national system is measured by the levels of inclusion, effective participation and enlightened understanding: Citizens` participation stands in the center of a democratic society. One form of participation are deliberative processes, supposed to provide welfare, wellbeing and justice. Often, deliberation is accompanied by passion and includes moral and religious arguments, besides rational ones. Supporters of Habermas´ theory of the “ideal speech situation” emphasize rationalistic norms, considering emotions, i.a., as a threat to impartiality. Scholars have approached emotions in relation to deliberative practices considering social movements, policy making, service delivery and user involvement, or health care. The focus of this paper is set on the under-explored research field of emotions and decision making at the local governance level. We look at a public debate from 2007 at the City of Timișoara (Romania), concerning the construction of an Orthodox church in a central neighborhood. Our question is related to the importance of emotional religious arguments for reaching an agreement - to provide welfare, well-being and justice. Research methods are based on discourse and conversation analysis. Results point to a potential significant contribution of passionate religious reasons towards reaching a moral, cognitive and - finally - legal consensus. The necessary conditions for democracy - inclusion, effectiveness and understanding - derive from a morally and emotionally balanced deliberation: consideration for ethical principles, such as cognitive and affective competence, trust and responsibility, coming from all sides involved in the process.

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