Political Translation

Nicole Doerr is Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Copenhagen. Doerr's research investigates how and under what conditions increased linguistic and cultural diversity fosters democratic innovation in the areas of social movements, local democracy and participation by migrants, refugees, and minorities. Based on research in the US, Germany, Italy, South Africa, and the UK, Doerr explores the collective practices of political translation, which can help multilingual and diverse groups work together more democratically and foster intersectional gendered inclusion. Doerr's research has been awarded the EU Marie Curie and IPODI Fellowships, as well as the Harvard Ash Center Democracy Fellowship.

'For decades, those of us intensely interested in the inequalities that typically arise in social movements despaired of finding ways to counter those inequalities - of class, gender, race, and language. Now, in a breakthrough analysis, Nicole Doerr shows how the techniques of political translation can right many of the inegalitarian wrongs that typically flow from an open participatory setting. In a series of closely observed and well-analyzed cases, Doerr shows how social movement activists evolved these techniques and used them effectively. A must-read for anyone interested in social movements or (an unusual juxtaposition) deliberative democratic theory.' Jane Mansbridge, Charles F. Adams Professor of Political Leadership and Democratic Values, Harvard University

• Introduction: bridging differences within deliberation: political translation; 1. Paris: a political translation collective emerges; 2. Frankfurt versus Atlanta: political translators as coalition leaders; 3. Santa Brigida, California: how political translation failed at City Hall; 4. Santa Brigida revisited; Conclusion: a new model for deliberation.