This paper analyses some of the critics that were directed to the theories of deliberative democracy, in order to rescue the idea of conflict as a crucial component for the development of contemporary democracies. These theories have contributed to a theoretical breakthrough on the issues of political inclusion, recognizing the importance of political autonomy and expansion of formal equality. Despite these advances, theories of deliberative democracy have become the object of criticism in the last decade, due to the excessive emphasis on consensus, which eventually eclipsed other forms of political action, such as contentious politics. In this paper I attempt to reinforce the idea of conflict as a decisive element for the development of our democracies. In this sense, I promote a dialogue between the theories of deliberative democracy and the theory of political processes, which has as it's central focus the analysis of the relationship among collective actors, contentious politics and the political context.
theories of deliberative democracy; consensus; conflict; political participation; social movements