Deliberation against Participation? Yellow Vests and Grand Débat: A Perspective from Deliberative Theory
| Author | Tamara Ehs,Monika Mokre |
| Published date | 01 May 2021 |
| Date | 01 May 2021 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/1478929920940947 |
| Subject Matter | Symposium: Democratic Deliberation and Under-Represented Groups |
https://doi.org/10.1177/1478929920940947
Political Studies Review
2021, Vol. 19(2) 186 –192
© The Author(s) 2020
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DOI: 10.1177/1478929920940947
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Deliberation against
Participation? Yellow Vests
and Grand Débat:
A Perspective from
Deliberative Theory
Tamara Ehs and Monika Mokre
Abstract
The yellow vest movement started in November 2018 and has formed the longest protest
movement in France since 1945. The movement provoked different reactions of the French
government—on the one hand, violence and repression; on the other hand, concessions. One
of them was to provide a possibility for citizens’ participation by organizing the so-called “Grand
Débat.” It was clear to all observers that this was less an attempt to further democracy in France
than to calm down the protests of the yellow vests. Thus, it seemed doubtful from the beginning
whether this form of participatory democracy could be understood as a real form of citizens’
deliberation, and in fact, several shortcomings with regard to procedure and participation were
pointed out by theorists of deliberative democracy. The aim of this article is to analyze the Grand
Débat with regard to its deliberative qualities and shortcomings.
Keywords
yellow vests, Grand Débat, protest movement, deliberative quality, under-represented groups
Accepted: 16 June 2020
Introduction
The yellow vests have formed the longest protest movement in France since 1945
(Donadio, 2019). The movement has provoked different reactions of the French govern-
ment—on the one hand, violence and repression; on the other hand, concessions. One of
them was to provide a possibility for citizens’ participation by organizing the so-called
“Grand Débat.”1 Celebrated as a huge success by the government, the initiative was
denounced by the yellow vests as a smoke screen and a deception (Buzzanca, 2019).
Institute of Culture Studies and Theatre History, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria
Corresponding author:
Monika Mokre, Institute of Culture Studies and Theatre History, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vordere
Zollamtsstrasse 3 1010, Austria.
Email: monika.mokre@oeaw.ac.at
940947PSW0010.1177/1478929920940947Political Studies ReviewEhs and Mokre
research-article2020
Symposia and New Ideas
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