Abstract I: Habermas and the Public Sphere

In this encyclopedia entry, Habermas develops his concept of the public sphere and its critical role in society. He discusses the importance of communication media for expressing public opinion thus contributing to the formation of the public sphere, and later, its disintegration. The public sphere is defined as the space where private individuals can meet, to discuss freely and without constraints matters of the state, deemed as general interest, thus forming “public opinion” which is then duly published. With an elaborate historical review of feudal and monarchical systems, and via a Marxist perspective, Habermas seeks to disambiguate his particular notion of “public” vs “private”, as well as that of “opinion” and “representation”, to arrive at 18th century Europe, where the rise of a bourgeois society, vocal in its debate of political matters and the authority of the state, is the first instance of an active, critical public sphere. This model is analyzed in terms of structures and distribution of power among state and public sphere, where the latter controls and supervises, via the press. Habermas’ contribution is especially relevant in its historical context, and in its emphasis on informal social spaces as important promoters of liberal thinking and thus democracy. However, the study is limited to an elite educated bourgeoisie, and does not consider subsequent new social groups, which have gained new importance and presence in society. Instead, Habermas points to the transformation of critical journalism into capital-driven mass media in the modern consumer system, which creates confusion and eventually leads to a “refeudalization” of the public sphere. This, he says, can only be countered by a rational reorganization of social and political powers with a specific commitment to the principle of public sphere.

Habermas, J., Lennox, S., & Lennox, F. (1974). The public sphere: An encyclopedia article (1964). New German Critique, (3), 49-55.