The Contemporary Theory of the Public Sphere

Patrick O’Mahoney (sociology, U. College Cork) inaugurates Peter Lang’s New Visions of the Cosmopolitan series with this survey of contemporary theories of the (democratic) public sphere. Eighteen chapters organized into four parts explore theories in a monograph style, but also broader issues theoreticians and sociologists face in trying to talk about the public sphere. For example, O’Mahony considers the degree to which normative claims rest on certain cognitive foundations. The first section looks at normative theories of democracy, communication and the public sphere. These include Rawlsian liberalism, republicanism and public autonomy, radicalism, political ＂realism,＂ and the communicative turn in democratic theory. The second section, focusing on the work of Jurgen Habermas, considers discourse theory perspectives on democracy and society. The third section examines collective learning and ＂cognitive sociology.＂ The final section dissects the ＂cognitive order＂ and unpacks the dynamics of public communication. Annotation ©2013 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)