The Private, the Public and Civil Society: Social Realms and Power Structures

Sales, Arnaud

doi:10.1177/019251219101200404

Cited by 15 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 2 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Feudal political pluralism encouraged the role of private interests in the Middle Ages, which led to the strengthening of liberal tendencies. Some authors have suggested-wrongly by our estimation-that a distinction between public and private interests was not made until the eighteenth century (Sennett 1992, 17-18;Johnson 1995, 216;Outhwaite 1994, 531;Sales 1991). In fact, the public-private distinction, a liberal element, can be seen, if to varying degrees, in any society-medieval France, the Soviet Union, and twenty-first-century America.…”

Section: Private Interests In Medieval Societymentioning

confidence: 76%

Feudal America: Elements of the Middle Ages in Contemporary Society

Shlapentokh¹,

Woods²

2012

Contemp Sociol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Judging by their commentary on American public opinion, their sharp debates on key social issues, and the wide variety of labels they place on society, the critics and observers of the United States seem to be talking about several different countries. Indeed, their portrayals of the country range from fascist state to ideal democracy.The United States is certainly not the only country to have stimulated debate over its defining characteristics. The Soviet Union, for instance, was the subject of a wide range of commentary and analysis. Until its collapse in 1991, many observers-both inside and outside the country-treated the USSR as a true socialist society, while others regarded it as a brutal totalitarian regime (Shlapentokh, Shiraev, and Carroll 2008). In the post-Soviet period, debates over Russia and other postcommunist countries continued. If some were eager to accept the official definition of Russia as a "normal" liberal capitalist country, others were no less insistent that labels such as "authoritarian" and "oligarchic" should be applied (Shlapentokh with Woods 2007).Similarly, is France the motor of European integration, a deeply nationalist country in search of "grandeur," a true democracy, a champion of egalitarianism, or a society with growing authoritarian and discriminatory tendencies? Italy, in its turn, has been described as a "normal" democratic society and an oligarchy, as well as a criminal society ruled by mafias. Iran is seen by some as a healthy Islamic democracy and by others as a highly repressive theocracy. Popular labels for China range from a "normal" totalitarian regime to a fledgling liberal capitalist society.Returning to the United States, we see sharp disagreements among journalists, scholars, and politicians on whether or to what extent the term "liberal capitalism," including genuine political and economic competition, accurately describes U.S. society. It is difficult to deny the considerable influ ence of corporations and political clans on the election process, the importance of personal relations in business and politics, the frequent disregard of merit in the hiring and selection procedures of public and private organizations, the Preface privatization of public space, the walling of wealthy American neighborhoods, the widespread use of private security, and the independent control of violent force. While there is agreement that deviations from ideal liberalism exist, there is general disagreement about the seriousness of these problems, how long they will persist, and how they became problems in the first place.One camp, the true believers in liberal capitalism, suggests that all such problems are temporary, accidental deviations from the liberal model. While every society faces considerable challenges, U.S. society is led, for the most part, by honest and able people who can meet these challenges. In other words, the problems derive not from the barrel, but from a few bad apples.This optimistic vision of liberal capitalism has been attacked from all sides. Those on the f...

show abstract

Section: Private Interests In Medieval Societymentioning

confidence: 76%

Feudal America: Elements of the Middle Ages in Contemporary Society

Shlapentokh¹,

Woods²

2012

Contemp Sociol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Although it is necessary to engage all main-participant sectors (private, public, and civil society) in a participatory approach in urban context as potential partnerships [13], this paper focuses on city consultation as the property owners in the Historic City of Yazd World Heritage Site. In this research, three variables were examined by a questionnaire of 23 questions and 400 interviewees during a period of around two months between 2 March and 25 April, 2019.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment of Local People Opinion After World Heritage Site Designation, Case Study: Historic City of Yazd, Iran

Nasrolahi

Roux

Jahromi³

et al. 2019

Heritage

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Local participation in the cultural heritage conservation has always been a concern since the Venice Charter (1964). It seems the assumption of the World Heritage Center, and particularly their State Parties, is that local people living in a nominated site are willing to inscribe their properties on the World Heritage List. This research examines the points of view of a local community living in the buffer zone of the Historic City of Yazd in five categories: Willingness, quality of life, decision-making, benefits, and awareness after the designation as World Heritage Site. The main hypotheses are that local people did not agree to inscribe their properties on the World Heritage List, and their quality of life has not changed after registering. The methodology is based on both qualitative and quantitative methods by interviewing 400 people of both genders and different ages. The results show that the majority of local people living in the buffer zone were not satisfied to be on the list. In addition, more than 80% mentioned that the quality of life did not change at all after the inscription. There was a misunderstanding about the role of national and international organizations in World Heritage management and conservation among the local community.

show abstract

“…Contributions to the public sphere conceptual toolkit from elsewhere in democratic theory are also acknowledged to a considerably lesser degree (e.g. Calhoun, 1992;Fraser, 1990;Sales, 1991;Taylor, 1992). On the left, Jodi Dean has written extensively on the limits of Habermas and public sphere theory when considering information technology alongside the capacity for political action (see Dean, 2003Dean, , 2010.…”

Section: Habermas' Changing Views On the Public Spherementioning

confidence: 99%

The conceptual public sphere and its problems: Habermas, political action and the Arab states

Abbott

2016

Journal of International Political Theory

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The main purpose of this article is to examine how Habermas' account of the transformation of the public sphere is used in the study of political change in the Arab states of the Middle East. The study aims to demonstrate that while Habermas' motif may provide several constructive pathways forward for the study of transformation in this regional context, its numerous shortcomings leave it susceptible to conceptual overstretch. With the aim of showing this, the article is divided into three sections. The first section shows how the concept has been applied. The second engages critically with the prominent account of the Arab public sphere by reflecting on (1) its methodological assumptions, (2) its empirical claims and (3) its own political role. The third section explores the shortcomings of Habermas' account and how these present difficulties when making empirical claims about political action and transformation in the Arab states of the Middle East.

show abstract

The Private, the Public and Civil Society: Social Realms and Power Structures

Cited by 15 publications

References 2 publications

Feudal America: Elements of the Middle Ages in Contemporary Society

Feudal America: Elements of the Middle Ages in Contemporary Society

Assessment of Local People Opinion After World Heritage Site Designation, Case Study: Historic City of Yazd, Iran

The conceptual public sphere and its problems: Habermas, political action and the Arab states

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About