Work

Signs of Democratic Resilience Following Aotearoa New Zealand’s March 15th Mosque Attacks

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Political responses to extremist attacks and other forms of social trauma might be deemed ‘resilient’ insofar as they restore order and security but can undermine democratic ideals and practices. This article offers an evaluative framework for democratic resilience to make sense of public discourse in the aftermath of extremist attacks. We argue that a democratically resilient response entails five necessary dimensions, each of which is required for dialogue across difference capable of ‘working through’ social trauma within the democratic polity. We then apply this framework to analyse the March 15 2019 mosque attacks in Aotearoa New Zealand, using mixed methods to analyse critical moments of national public discourse to illustrate how and to what extent the public sphere demonstrated democratic resilience.

Source: Political Studies Review

DOI: 10.1177/14789299251335790

Authors: Claire Fitzpatrick, Emily Beausoleil

Institutions: Edith Cowan University, Victoria University of Wellington

Language: English

Topic: Political Theory and Democracy

Subfield: Political Science and International Relations

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Peace, justice, and strong institutions

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,650