審議民主在過去二十年中受到相當的重視與討論。然而,關心社會正義的民主理論家則質疑,審議民主獨尊理性論述的言說風格阻礙弱勢的參與。他們並提出說故事作爲另一種可能。只是,說故事到底對民主討論有無幫助,卻一直停留在理論的爭辯,鮮少被經驗研究檢視。本研究以台灣民間社會在2004年總統大選後所舉辦的族群對話工作坊爲研究對象,透過量化與質化的方法分析說故事在民主討論中的效果。我們發現,女性以及客家與原住民族群較傾向於使用說故事這種言說方式。在內容上,說故事最有可能被用來表達認同的立場,以及弱勢的創傷經驗。最後,說故事的對話基調較有可能表達感激,故可能促進相互的尊重與信任。整體而言,說故事雖然無法觸發更多的爭辯、質疑等回應,但在降低弱勢參與門檻、認同表達、信任建立等民主溝通的障礙上,相當有貢獻。
Deliberative democracy has been influential in the past twenty years. However, democratic theorists have raised criticism that the emphasis of rational discourse will implicitly exclude the participation of those disadvantaged. They advocate storytelling as an alternative choice. But, whether storytelling is good for democratic discussion remains unverified. Very few empirical studies ever examine this theoretical claim. Through qualitative and quantitative analysis of an ethnic dialogue workshop held after the presidential election in 2004, this study aims to study the effect of storytelling in democratic discussion. This study finds that women and disadvantaged ethnic groups are more likely to use storytelling as a strategy of expression. As to the situation of dialogue, storytelling is more likely to be used in addressing identity issues and experiences of trauma. Lastly, the tone of storytelling is more likely to express appreciation and, therefore, facilitates mutual respect and trust. As a whole, though storytelling is less likely to initiate debate and challenge, its contribution lies in the power of encouraging participation of the disadvantaged, identity expression, and trust-building in democratic discussion.