1. A Sociological Theory of Publics: Identity and Culture as Emergent Properties in Networks.
- Author
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Ikegami, Eiko
- Subjects
- *
SOCIAL theory , *PUBLIC sphere , *PUBLIC opinion , *PUBLIC behavior , *CIVIL society , *SOCIAL participation , *POLITICAL science , *PRIVATE sphere , *IDENTITY politics - Abstract
The article criticizes the theories on public sphere. The sudden emergence of new democracies encouraged the transfer of the Habermasian model of the public sphere in order to understand the civic engagement traditions of new eastern states. According to the author, the uncritical transfer of Habermasian theories to analyze non-western societies remains questionable on methodological grounds. It is clear that theories and concepts designed for European and Anglo-American examples should not be applied to non-western cases. The author clarifies that she is not rejecting the notion of public sphere nor proposing a revision of the Habermasian model to accommodate Asian cases but merely proposing a sociological reevaluation of the term "publics" with ontological depth.
- Published
- 2000