Description:
The concept of the public sphere has long been limited by its division into the twin approaches of normative argumentation in democratic theory and empirical-theoretical application in the social sciences. This book goes beyond this divide, showing how democratic theory can become empirically applicable and the social sciences normatively relevant.
Review Quotes: This is a substantial and important work not only of exegesis and synthesis but also of conceptual development extending along the lines of Habermas's revisions of the 1990s. A close reading of this text by media scholars would undoubtedly prove beneficial not only in helping to tighten up how the public sphere is used as a concept but also in terms of reframing how we conceive of the public sphere operating in contemporary societies. (Michael Pickering, European Journal of Communication 29, 2014)