scholarly journals Introduction: Publics and Participation in Early Modern Britain

2017 ◽  
Vol 56 (4) ◽  
pp. 709-730 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura A. M. Stewart
Keyword(s):  
Early Modern ◽  
Public Discourse ◽  
Cultural Exchange ◽  
The Public ◽  
Cultural Boundaries ◽  
Modern Britain ◽  
Institutional Variation ◽  
The Public Sphere ◽  
Important Shift

AbstractThe deconstruction of what is termed “the public sphere” in recent decades has resulted in an important shift in scholarly attention towards networks and forms of association. This article explores how greater sensitivity to the unstable and ephemeral nature of “publics,” combined with a stronger awareness of the role of cultural exchange, has undoubtedly enriched our understanding of early modern politics. Some analytical precision has, nonetheless, been lost. A justifiable emphasis on the artificiality of the territorial borders that have defined units of enquiry has occurred at the expense of deeper consideration of the cultural boundaries that dictated the terms on which people could participate in and shape public discourse. Study of the British archipelago can offer new ways of thinking about these problems. Linguistic and ethnic differences, the search for religious concord as well as the reality of confessional division, institutional variation, and the consequences of London's increasing dominance of the archipelago, are key facets of the reassessments undertaken here. The article concludes by reflecting on how interactions between varieties of “public” and other forms of association can nuance our understanding of early modern state formation.

Ideology and utopia: Historic crisis of economic rationality and the role of public sociology

2016 ◽  
Vol 53 (1) ◽  
pp. 145-161
Author(s):  
Val Colic-Peisker
Keyword(s):  
Public Sphere ◽  
Public Discourse ◽  
Global Financial Crisis ◽  
Public Sociology ◽  
Economic Rationality ◽  
The Public ◽  
Professional Duty ◽  
Systemic Crisis ◽  
The Public Sphere

This article reflects on the role of public sociology in the debate on the systemic crisis of western capitalism reinvigorated by the 2007–8 global financial crisis. The article argues that, in the current moment in history, sociologists have a professional duty to challenge the growing irrationality of the economically rational public discourse and to more vigorously uphold the formulation of alternative ‘real-utopian’ discourses. The article first introduces capitalism’s core ideology – economic rationality – arguing that it has hardened into the irrational dogma of the ostensibly rational West, with an unrelenting grip on the public discourse, especially in the ‘neoliberal’ Anglosphere. The ideology suppresses measures needed to address issues such as global warming and global financial disorder. Contemporary ‘Anglo’ sociology, including Australian sociology, is internally compartmentalized, self-referential and of marginal influence in the public sphere. Moreover, it espouses economic rationality in its practice within increasingly corporatized universities, while maintaining a progressive cloak over its intellectual products.

Romance, Irony, and Solidarity

1997 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 60-80 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronald N. Jacobs ◽  
Philip Smith
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
Social Theory ◽  
Public Discourse ◽  
Social Solidarity ◽  
The Public ◽  
Political Cultures ◽  
Procedural Reform ◽  
The Public Sphere ◽  
Narrative Forms

Contemporary social theory has turned increasingly to concepts such as civil society, community, and the public sphere in order to theorize about the construction of vital, democratic and solidaristic political cultures. The dominant prescriptions for attaining this end invoke the need for institutional and procedural reform, but overlook the autonomous role of culture in shaping and defining the forms of social solidarity. This article proposes a model of solidarity based on the two genres of Romance and Irony, and argues that these narrative forms offer useful vocabularies for organizing public discourse within and between civil society and its constituent communities. Whilst unable to sustain fully-inclusive and solidaristic political cultures on their own, in combination the genres of Romance and Irony allow for solidaristic forms built around tolerance, reflexivity, and intersubjectivity.

State–merchant relations and economic thought: the Dutch Republic and England, 1580–1720

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily Erikson
Keyword(s):  
The Netherlands ◽  
Public Sphere ◽  
Early Modern ◽  
Public Discourse ◽  
Economic Thought ◽  
Dutch Republic ◽  
The Public ◽  
Emerging Nations ◽  
The Public Sphere ◽  
Print Industry

Abstract The commercially and financially dynamic early modern Dutch Republic experienced a broad expansion of the public sphere and print industry. One topic was largely absent from this boom: trade, commerce and finance. This absence is particularly notable given that the Dutch Republic was widely considered to be the most accomplished site of expertise in those matters. Instead, a discourse attempting to understand the causes and consequences of market processes emerged in England. A comparison between the two emerging nations suggests that the tight integration between the commercial and political worlds in the Netherlands discouraged the development of a public discourse on economic matters. High levels of merchant representation in the offices of state depressed the need for the type of public debate that stimulated advances in the English context. The results suggest that there is an important relational component to the formation and development of economic thought.

scholarly journals THE OPERATICS OF DEATH: GENDER, THE MARKET, AND THE REFORM-ERA PUBLIC SPHERE IN THE DEATH OF ANGIOLINA BOSIO

2021 ◽  
pp. 13-24
Author(s):  
M. Klopfenstein ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Public Sphere ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Reform Era ◽  
The Public ◽  
Emotional Culture ◽  
Cultural Boundaries ◽  
The Press ◽  
Public Behavior ◽  
The Public Sphere

This article analyzes the development of a gendered culture of celebrity in nineteenth century Russia using the death of the opera singer Angiolina Bosio in 1859. Bosio was one of the leading celebrities of her era, and her death became a major social phenomenon. The article examines reactions to the singer’s death in the capital press to demonstrate that the figure of the celebrity female performer reflected major changes in the public sphere during the era of the Great Reforms. Reactions to Bosio show that female opera stars reflected the growing role of commercial forces in the public sphere and the anxiety about them from the point of view of many commentators. This article demonstrates that female celebrities reveal the dynamics of an expanding public sphere in Russia that was visible in the pages of the press. Bosio embodied both the ambiguous status of opera as both a popular and elite artistic genre, and a distinct emotional culture associated with opera. Her death shows the role of gender in the creation and dynamics of the role of celebrity in the textual public sphere. Analyzing reactions to Bosio’s death clearly demonstrates that gendered tropes and conventions from opera spread widely beyond the theater and influenced public life. Through the prism of her death, we can see the development of a public sphere in the which cultural boundaries blurred and European-wide operatic conventions became a model for public behavior.

Introduction

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-39
Author(s):  
Mark Netzloff
Keyword(s):  
Public Sphere ◽  
Early Modern ◽  
The Public ◽  
Jean Bodin ◽  
Law Of Nations ◽  
State Agents ◽  
The Public Sphere ◽  
Canonical Texts ◽  
Opening Section

The Introduction situates the study in relation to previous criticism on the role of state agents and practices of governance. The opening section returns to some canonical texts of early modern political theory, particularly the work of Jean Bodin, and explores how their theorization of sovereignty was interconnected with a reflection on the agents and practices of governance. The following section considers state formation in relation to the emergence of the public sphere, and analyzes the ways that state agents contributed to early modern publics through their writings. The latter part of the Introduction examines the extraterritorial histories of the state, looking at the conceptual impasse that resulted from efforts to theorize the place of religio-political exiles in many influential statements on the law of nations, with particular attention to the writings of the Catholic exile William Cardinal Allen.

Conversion to Conversation: The Search for a Christian Imperative in the Public Sphere and the Discourse on Artificial Contraceptives in the Philippines

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 262-287
Author(s):  
Liza Gabriela F. Lansang
Keyword(s):  
Public Sphere ◽  
Religious Freedom ◽  
Public Discourse ◽  
Universal Access ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Public Sphere ◽  
Religious Reasons ◽  
Pro Life

Abstract This article looks at the politicization and framing of the issue of reproductive health (RH) in the Philippines and the advocacy work of faith-based organizations (FBOs) to influence public discourse and policy on artificial contraceptives. It studies the advocacy work of two FBOs, namely, Pro-Life Philippines and Couples for Christ, both of which participated in the oral arguments to amend the RH Law of 2012 based on their contentions that some artificial contraceptives were in fact abortifacients and that religious freedom can limit universal access to contraceptives. It addresses the role of religious reasons and ethics of citizenship of Christians in the public sphere of a liberal democracy. The author argues that the debate on artificial contraceptives, which deals with the question, “When does life begin?”, cannot be answered without a certain comprehensive belief. The participation of Pro-Life Philippines and Couples for Christ in the oral arguments contributed in the search for answers and protected diversity in Philippine democracy. These FBOs, however, have the moral obligation to respect other positions, while at the same time advocating amendments to the RH Law based on their beliefs. This is what the author calls the Christian Imperative. This civic virtue can be achieved through reflexive thinking and was seen in the kind of arguments Pro-Life Philippines and Couples for Christ brought to the debate, in other words, aiming for a theo-ethical equilibrium, i.e., having both religious reasons and secular ethical considerations for their support or repeal of public policy. To the extent that Pro-Life Philippines and Couples for Christ presented not only theological reasons, such as the inviolability of life, but also ethical reasons, such as some artificial contraceptives being abortifacients and religious freedom to limit universal access to contraceptives, the author posits that the beginnings of reflexive thinking can be seen on the side of these FBOs. The author also argues, however, that secular citizens must also learn to practice reflexive thinking to view religious arguments as legitimate in order for fruitful conversation to take place.

scholarly journals Amerykański język praw podmiotowych a demokracja

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-76
Author(s):  
Tomasz Raburski
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Public Sphere ◽  
Public Discourse ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
The United States ◽  
American Democracy ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Public Sphere ◽  
The Impact

The article explores the link between the language of rights and democracy. The author asks whether the dominance of the language of rights in the United States is responsible for the overall condition of American democracy, and the lack of such dominance may have a negative impact on the Polish public sphere. The beginning of the article describes the problems with translating the word „right” from English into Polish. In the next part, the different forms and types of rights are described. Then, a meaning of the „language of rights” is presented. Other languages of public discourse are mentioned for comparison. The consequences and functions of the language of law for the public sphere and democracy are widely discussed. The critical voices about the impact of rights are examined. Finally, the article answers the question about the role of rights in the Polish public sphere and democracy.

On Waxen Wings: Challenges to the Public Sphere in the Network Age

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mike Francoeur
Keyword(s):  
Public Sphere ◽  
Public Discourse ◽  
The Internet ◽  
The Public ◽  
Digital Space ◽  
Multiple Viewpoints ◽  
Internet Users ◽  
Economic Production ◽  
The Public Sphere ◽  
Communicative Space

There is a tendency, particularly among Western pundits and technologists, to examine the Internet in almost universally positive terms; this is most evident in any discussion of the medium’s capacity for democratization. While the Internet has produced many great things for society in terms of cultural and economic production, some consideration must be given to the implications that such a revolutionary medium holds for the public sphere. By creating a communicative space that essentially grants everyone his or her own microphone, the Internet is fragmenting public discourse due to the proliferation of opinions and messages and the removal of traditional gatekeepers of information. More significantly, because of the structural qualities of the Internet, users no longer have to expose themselves to opinions and viewpoints that fall outside their own preconceived notions. This limits the robustness of the public sphere by limiting the healthy debate that can only occur when exposed to multiple viewpoints. Ultimately, the Internet is not going anywhere, so it is important to equip the public with the tools and knowledge to be able to navigate the digital space. 

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