Interrogating participation across disciplinary boundaries: Lessons from political philosophy,cultural studies,art,and education

Abstract

In view of the prominence of online media and their role in enabling new patterns of activity and engagement, the concept of participation has become an increasingly ubiquitous buzzword across a wide variety of disciplines. However, the specifics of its scope and applications are insufficiently interrogated. This article traces the use of the term, participation, across four domains—political philosophy, cultural studies, art, and education—discussing core assumptions about what constitutes meaningful participation in each instance. In particular, for each of these fields of inquiry, attention will be paid to (a) the definition and key debates around participation, (b) the degrees of meaningful participation, and (c) the strengths of each of these perspectives, particularly in terms of opportunities for productive cross-pollination among these disciplines.