Understanding the Dynamics of Israeli-Palestinian Grassroots Dialogue Workshops: the Contribution of a Habermasian Approach

Abstract

In the post-Oslo context, Israeli-Palestinian people-to-people programmes based on dialogue (re-)create vital spaces of communicative action not always directly available at other levels. By enhancing the overall deliberative quality of the system, they can generate a shift away from discourses of violence in the public sphere and contribute significantly to peace-building dynamics. Conceptual frameworks developed by Jurgen Habermas are useful in understanding the opportunities and challenges faced by such initiatives both at the micro- and macrolevel.