Changing Perceptions of the Public Sphere

Published by Berghahn Books 2012

Changing Perceptions of the Public Sphere

Edited by: Christian J. Emden and David Midgley

https://doi.org/10.1515/9780857455017

Overview
Contents

About this book

Initially propounded by the philosopher Jürgen Habermas in 1962 in order to describe the realm of social discourse between the state on one hand, and the private sphere of the market and the family on the other, the concept of a bourgeois public sphere quickly became a central point of reference in the humanities and social sciences. This volume reassesses the validity and reach of Habermas’s concept beyond political theory by exploring concrete literary and cultural manifestations in early modern and modern Europe. The contributors ask whether, and in what forms, a social formation that rightfully can be called the “public sphere” really existed at particular historical junctures, and consider the senses in which the “public sphere” should rather be replaced by a multitude of interacting cultural and social “publics.” This volume offers insights into the current status of the “public sphere” within the disciplinary formation of the humanities and social sciences at the beginning of the twenty-first century.

Author / Editor information

Christian J. Emden is Associate Professor of German Intellectual History and Political Thought at Rice University.

David Midgley is Reader in German Literature and Culture at the University of Cambridge, England, and a Fellow of St. John’s College.

Christian J. Emden is Associate Professor of German Intellectual History and Political Thought at Rice University.

Reviews

“The eight well-edited essays selected by Christian J. Emden and David Midgley create a good balance between critical and consenting perspectives on Juergen Habermas’ idea of the public sphere… this anthology is not only complementary to Habermas’ model (by taking, for instance, earlier developments into consideration, as Habermas did) but also expands on it, by discussing his work in the light of the critiques that have been levied against it. As a result, this very interesting volume pays respect to the merits of his model, but also to the need to remodel it.” · European Review of History/Revue Europèenne d'Histoire

"An impressive collection of essays with contributions from a stellar cast, including leading authorities from a variety of disciplines, notably cultural, intellectual and literary history... nicely balanced, [the volume] does justice to the richness and complexity of Habermas’s ideas and offers fresh perspectives on its heuristic uses.” · Martin A. Ruehl, Cambridge University

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
CONTENTS Publicly Available Download PDF	v
CONTENTS Publicly Available Download PDF	vii
INTRODUCTION: Changing Perceptions of the Public Sphere Christian J. Emden and David Midgley Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
Part I. PUBLICS BEFORE THE PUBLIC SPHERE
Chapter 1. A PUBLIC SPHERE BEFORE KANT? Habermas and the Historians of Early Modern Germany Joachim Whaley Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	15
Chapter 2. KUNIGUNDE OF BAVARIA AND THE “CONQUEST OF REGENSBURG” Politics, Gender, and the Public Sphere in 1489 Sarah Westphal Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	35
Chapter 3. PUBLICIZING THE PRIVATE The Rise of “Secret History” Peter Burke Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	57
Part II. THINKING ABOUT ENLIGHTENMENT PUBLICS
Chapter 4. PRIVATE, PUBLIC, AND STRUCTURAL CHANGE The German Problem Nicholas Boyle Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	75
Chapter 5. THE SECOND LIFE OF THE “PUBLIC SPHERE” On Charisma and Routinization in the History of a Concept John H. Zammito Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	90
Part III. CULTURAL POLITICS AND LITERARY PUBLICS
Chapter 6. PROBING THE LIMITS The Contribution of Literary Writing to Defining the Public Sphere David Midgley Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	123
Chapter 7. HABERMAS ANTICIPATED The Eighteenth-Century Public Sphere as “Theater of the World” Martina Lauster Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	142
Chapter 8. KARL KRAUS AND THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE PUBLIC SPHERE IN EARLY TWENTIETH-CENTURY VIENNA Edward Timms Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	164
BIBLIOGRAPHY Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	183
CONTRIBUTORS Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	200
INDEX Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	203

Language: English
Publisher: Berghahn Books
Audience: Professional and scholarly;
Pages
- Main content: 222
Keywords: History: 20th Century to Present; Cultural Studies (General); Political and Economic Anthropology

eBook

Published: July 1, 2012
ISBN: 9780857455017