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Media, Communication and the Struggle for Democratic Change pp 1–31Cite as

Palgrave Macmillan

Introduction: Democratization Conflicts as Communicative Contestations

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Abstract

The introductory chapter outlines the theoretical framework and key concepts that inform the contributions of this volume. The chapter argues that democratic transitions are frequently accompanied by intense conflicts that revolve around two key issues: the transformation of citizenship and the reconfiguration of power, often associated with issues of transitional justice and intensifying during elections. These conflicts are conceptualized as democratization conflicts. While existing literature has mainly focused on institutional aspects of post-transitional conflicts, this volume takes a communication approach that understands democratization conflicts as communication events that redefine the relationship between citizens and power. The chapter also introduces the research project Media, Conflict and Democratisation and provides detailed information of the research design and methodologies that are employed across this volume.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Media and Communication, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK

    Katrin Voltmer

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  1. Katrin Voltmer
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Correspondence to Katrin Voltmer .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Leeds, Leeds, UK

    Katrin Voltmer

  2. Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden

    Christian Christensen

  3. University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany

    Irene Neverla

  4. University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

    Nicole Stremlau

  5. Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum, Germany

    Barbara Thomass

  6. University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia

    Nebojša Vladisavljević

  7. University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa

    Herman Wasserman

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Voltmer, K. (2019). Introduction: Democratization Conflicts as Communicative Contestations. In: Voltmer, K., et al. Media, Communication and the Struggle for Democratic Change. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-16748-6_1

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