PUBLIC DISCOURSE AND COMBATING DISCRIMINATION: A PHILOSOPHICAL ANALYSIS OF DISCURSIVE PARTICIPATION AS THE FOUNDATION OF RECOGNITION AND SOCIAL INCLUSION
PUBLIC DISCOURSE AND COMBATING DISCRIMINATION: A PHILOSOPHICAL ANALYSIS OF DISCURSIVE PARTICIPATION AS THE FOUNDATION OF RECOGNITION AND SOCIAL INCLUSION

Summary/Abstract: This article examines the relationship between public discourse and the fight against discrimination from the perspective of contemporary political philosophy. It develops and argues the thesis that discrimination should not be understood solely as the violation of legal rights or institutional equality, but also as a discursive phenomenon that restricts individuals' capacity to participate in the construction of public narratives concerning their own identity and social position.The study adopts a qualitative, philosophical approach, integrating discourse theory with the philosophy of recognition. It draws on the works of Jürgen Habermas, Michel Foucault, Charles Taylor, Axel Honneth, Nancy Fraser, Teun A. van Dijk, and Norman Fairclough in order to analyse the relationship between discourse, power, recognition, and democratic participation. The paper argues that the effectiveness of anti-discrimination policies cannot be assessed exclusively through legal guarantees and institutional mechanisms but must also consider the extent to which vulnerable individuals and groups are able to participate actively in shaping the public discourse that defines them. By connecting philosophical reflection with insights derived from community social work, the study proposes discursive participation as a fundamental condition for democratic recognition and authentic social inclusion.It concludes that combating discrimination requires not only legal protection but also the democratization of public discourse and the recognition of all individuals as legitimate participants in the construction of social reality.

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