Intersectionality and Exclusion in Citizens' Assemblies: A Qualitative Study of Internal Exclusion in The Brussels Climate Assembly and the Paris Citizens' Assembly.

In recent years, citizens’ assemblies have emerged as innovative platforms aimed at developing better policies and fostering a more inclusive and participatory democracy. However, in practice, they often fail to counteract intersectional inequalities that hinder equitable engagement during the deliberations. An intersectional framework provides a rich and nuanced basis for the analysis of internal inclusion and power in citizens assemblies. This paper explores how intersectionality shapes exclusion during deliberations, particularly from individuals from historically marginalised and disempowered communities. Drawing on observations and semi-structured interviews this study maps mechanisms producing exclusions. The analysis focuses on two citizen’s assemblies in multicultural European capitals: The Brussels Climate Assembly and the Paris Citizens' Assembly. This research contributes to our understanding of how deliberative mechanisms can better address intersectional inequalities during deliberations, and provide insight into making governance more inclusive.