Struggling with the Concept of a Public Sphere

Eder, Klaus

doi:10.1057/9781137283207_2

Cited by 4 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…On the other side, empirical research has studied these dimensions and their meaning in regard to the development of a transnational polity. Traditionally, the social, cultural and political dimensions have been discussed separately in EU studies, but it is believed that their interconnection is key in understanding the complexity of the sense of belonging to a supranational polity and to understand the mechanisms through which full participation in the wider public sphere is activated (see for example Eder ; Trenz ; Salvatore et al ). In what follows, an overview of the debate in regard to key concepts and findings related to the social, political and social dimensions of the European integration is offered.…”

Section: The Public Sphere Debate: Social Political and Cultural Intmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This argument looks at the centrality of the public sphere for enhancing forms of transnational social solidarity . Cahloun (, ), for instance, looks at the link between the public sphere debate and the social dimension of the European project (see also Eder ; van de Steeg ). This entails a concern for the enforcement of mutual solidarity between societies at the European level and the recognition of the role of civil society in this.…”

Section: The Public Sphere Debate: Social Political and Cultural Intmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Transnationalisation, Public Communication and Active Citizenship. The Emergence of a Fragmented and Fluid European Public Sphere

Bee¹

2014

Sociology Compass

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This paper is focused on the emergence of the European public sphere debate. This discussion has become more and more prominent between scholars of European Studies who have given it both normative and empirical attention. This is due to a variety of reasons, but in particular the increase in research about the legitimacy of European integration, which has been the subject of a wide debate since at least the beginning of the 1990s. Firstly, the article critically assesses the normative arguments that have supported the development of the European public sphere, by focusing on the social, political and cultural dimensions of European integration. After having assessed this debate and underlined current challenges emerged in light of recent events (such as the euro-crisis, the rise of euroscepticism and the rise in far right movements), the article then introduces the empirical research on the europeanisation of the public sphere, by looking at the development of an agenda that has more and more concentrated on the fragmentation and fluidity of such construct. This discussion is key to introduce the final part of the article, which focuses on the role of civil society in the broader European constituency and in the public sphere. The article highlights some of the ambiguities inherent to the current research agenda, by calling for a more comprehensive approach to study active citizenship in Europe that departs from a consideration of the NGOs activists as the main locus of analysis.

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Section: The Public Sphere Debate: Social Political and Cultural Intmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Public Sphere Debate: Social Political and Cultural Intmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transnationalisation, Public Communication and Active Citizenship. The Emergence of a Fragmented and Fluid European Public Sphere

Bee¹

2014

Sociology Compass

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“…To understand how the academic and common sense use of the notion of Europeanisation is narratively embedded in accounts of the social integration of European society, the particular storylines along which Europeanisation research unfolds need to be unravelled. Narratives are used as collective imaginations of the social bonds that bind people together and tell how society constitutes itself (Eder 2006(Eder , 2010(Eder , 2013. Narratives of European society building compete with existing narratives that imagine the social bonds of national societies or postulate the bonds of a global or world society.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

European Integration, Processes of Change and the National Experience

Börner¹,

Eigmüller²

2015

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Palgrave Studies in European Political Sociology addresses contemporary themes in the fi eld of Political Sociology. Over recent years, attention has turned increasingly to processes of Europeanization and globalization and the social and political spaces that are opened by them. These processes comprise both institutional-constitutional change and new dynamics of social transnationalism. Europeanization and globalization are also about changing power relations as they affect people's lives, social networks and forms of mobility.The Palgrave Studies in European Political Sociology series addresses linkages between regulation, institution building and the full range of societal repercussions at local, regional, national, European and global level, and will sharpen understanding of changing patterns of attitudes and behaviours of individuals and groups, the political use of new rights and opportunities by citizens, new confl ict lines and coalitions, societal interactions and networking, and shifting loyalties and solidarity within and across the European space. We welcome proposals from across the spectrum of Political Sociology including on dimensions of citizenship; political attitudes and values; political communication and public spheres; states, communities, governance structure and political institutions; forms of political participation; populism and the radical right; and democracy and democratization.

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The theory of the public sphere as a cognitive theory of modern society

Trenz

2023

Philosophy & Social Criticism

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The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere is a key contribution to political philosophy, media history, democratic theory and political economy – published almost 60 years ago – that left a deep imprint on the process of democratic consolidation of the Federal Republic of Germany. At the same time, the Habermasian model of the public sphere was used to test out the possibilities of democratisation beyond the nation-state. The theory of the public sphere was, however, mainly discussed as a contribution to normative political theory and, as such, the applicability of its normative standards remained contested. In this article, I focus instead on a second sociological reading of Habermas’ theory of the public sphere as an exploration of the cognitive foundations of modern society. The relevance of this approach can be shown in an exemplary way by discussing the functioning of publicity, which, by creating social visibility and facilitating public opinion formation, on the one hand, provides the knowledge base of a shared social world and, on the other hand, becomes the main driver of social change through critical self-reflection. The article goes on to take a look at recent public sphere transformations in the context of digitalisation and globalisation, and argues that public sphere principles are both undermined and gain new relevance when facing the challenges of new and digital media.

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Struggling with the Concept of a Public Sphere

Cited by 4 publications

References 20 publications

Transnationalisation, Public Communication and Active Citizenship. The Emergence of a Fragmented and Fluid European Public Sphere

Transnationalisation, Public Communication and Active Citizenship. The Emergence of a Fragmented and Fluid European Public Sphere

European Integration, Processes of Change and the National Experience

The theory of the public sphere as a cognitive theory of modern society

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