Public Sphere, Postmodernism and Polemic

Theories of the public sphere, as standardly formulated, aim to specify the minimal, necessary conditions for a discursive realm free of coercion or manipulation. In his article in this Review in September 1992, Dana Villa urged us to reconsider this standard account. He argued that when read in light of postmodernist theory, Hannah Arendt provides the basis for a revised conception of the public sphere that privileges plurality and difference over consensus. Jim Johnson suggests that Villa's analysis is a thinly veiled polemic against critical theory. Johnson argues that, as critique, Villa's argument is neither decisive nor encompassing, and that as polemic it blinds Villa to potentially fruitful disagreements with critical theorists. Villa replies that Johnson misses the synthetic thrust of the original article because he identified public realm theory too narrowly with Habermas. Thus, he misconstrues the dialogue Villa sought to facilitate between Arendt and postmodernism

Argument (complex analysis · Coercion (linguistics · Critical theory · Epistemology · Political science · Politics · Postmodernism · Public sphere · Realm · Sociology · Critical Theory and Philosophy · Hannah Arendt's Political Philosophy · Law · Philosophy · Philosophy, Ethics, and Existentialism

• A Bibliography of the Concept Offentlichkeit

  Arthur Strum•New German Critique•1994

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• Communication, Criticism, and the Postmodern Consensus

  Open Access•James Johnson, James Turner Johnson•Political Theory•1997

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• Contesting Consensus

  Open Access•Patchen Markell•Constellations•1997

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• Reinventing politics

  Vladimir Tismaneanu•Reinventing politics•1993

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• Communication and the Evolution of Society

  Jürgen Habermas•Communication and the Evolution…•1991

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• Habermas and the public sphere

  Craig J Calhoun•Habermas and the public sphere•1992

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• The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life

  Erving Goffman•The Presentation of Self in…•1990

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• Polity and Group Difference

  Iris Marion Young•Ethics•1989

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• The structural transformation of the public sphere

  Jürgen Habermas•Habermas•2006

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• The theory of communicative action

  Open Access•Andrew Edgar•2005

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• Books in Review

  Open Access•Dana Villa•Political Theory•1993

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• Remarks on the Discussion

  Open Access•Jürgen Habermas•Theory Culture & Society•1990

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• The structural transformation of the public sphere

  Jürgen Habermas, Thomas Burger et al.•Strukturwandel Der Offentlichkeit•1989

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• Habermas on Strategic and Communicative Action

  Open Access•James Johnson, James Turner Johnson•Political Theory•1991

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• Beyond Good and Evil

  Open Access•Dana Villa, Dana R Villa•Political Theory•1992

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• Is Talk Really Cheap? Prompting Conversation between Critical Theory and Rational Choice

  Open Access•James Johnson, James Turner Johnson•American Political Science Review•1993

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• Postmodernism and the Public Sphere

  Open Access•Dana Villa, Dana R Villa•American Political Science Review•1992

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