摘要：Participation is a prominent feature of many decision-making and planning processes. Amongits proclaimed benefits is its potential to strengthen public support and involvement. However, participationis also known for having unintended consequences which lead to failures in meeting its objectives. Thisarticle takes a critical perspective on participation by discussing how participation may influence the waysin which citizens can become involved. Participation unavoidably involves (1) restrictions about who shouldbe involved and about the space for negotiation, (2) assumptions about what the issue at stake is, and (3)expectations about what the outcome of participation should be and how the participants are expected tobehave. This is illustrated by a case study about the Dutch nature area, the Drentsche Aa. The case studydemonstrates how the participatory process that took place and the restrictions, assumptions, andexpectations that were involved resulted in six forms of citizen involvement, both intended and unintended,which ranged between creativity, passivity, and entrenchment. Based on these findings, the article arguesthat participation does not merely serve as a neutral place in which citizens are represented, but insteadcreates different categories of citizens. Recognizing this means reconceiving participation as performativepractice. Such a perspective goes beyond overly optimistic views of participation as a technique whoseapplication can be perfected, as well as pessimistic views of participation as repression or domination.Instead, it appreciates both intended and unintended forms of citizen involvement as meaningful andlegitimate, and recognizes citizenship as being constituted in interaction in the context of participation
