Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to promote the theoretical development of public sphere theory through a detailed examination of JeffreyAlexander's “civil sphere” theory.
Habermas, who has greatly influenced public sphere theory, defined it from a macro perspective as the sphere of public opinion making. However, since his communication model in the public sphere was that of direct deliberations, which are oriented toward a mutual understanding among citizens, theoretical difficulties ensued when he tried to link the decision-making of citizens with macro-level political processes.
In contrast, Alexander proposed the concept of a “civil sphere.” He defined basic communication in the civil sphere as “performance,” which is a particular social process whereby actors seek recognition from their audiences in the form of emotional sympathy for comprehending a social situation together. Alexander's argument was that we need to reconsider communication in the public sphere as performance in the aforementioned sense in order to view the public sphere in democratic societies with the proper perspective.
One may wonder whether Alexander was merely reaffirming the staging of a “spectacle” of communication in the public sphere. However, by taking Alexander's civil sphere theory into account, we can begin to explore anew the relationship between the public sphere and the integration of democratic society.
