Theme Panel: Lived Experience and Democratic Renewal: Race, Gender, and Narrative

August 13, 2025 APSA Annual Meeting, Theme Panels Comments Off on Theme Panel: Lived Experience and Democratic Renewal: Race, Gender, and Narrative

Co-sponsored by Division 2: Foundations of Political Theory

In-Person Full Paper Panel

Participants:

  • (Chair) Bonnie Honig, Brown University
  • (Discussant) Lori Marso, Union College

Session Description:
This panel explores the phenomenology and lived experiences of race and gender, examining their centrality to justice, democracy, and collective belonging. Responding to contemporary challenges such as rising authoritarianism, xenophobia, and social inequality, the panel highlights how narrative, storytelling, and embodied experience offer transformative resources for reimagining key political concepts like freedom, justice, and equality. Drawing from Black studies, political theory, and phenomenology, the panel interrogates the intersections of race, gender, and democracy to reveal how lived experience disrupts traditional frameworks and inspires democratic renewal.