ABSTRACT
In his refl ections on Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere (1989) [1962], Jurgen Habermas considers the question “of whether, and to what extent, a public sphere dominated by mass media provides a realistic chance for the members of civil society, in their competition with the political and economic invaders’ media power, to bring about changes in the spectrum of values, topics and reasons channeled by external infl uences, to open it up in an innovative way, and to screen it critically” (Habermas 1992, 455). He then answers: “It seems to me that the concept of a public sphere operative in the political realm, as I developed it in Structural Transformation, still provides the appropriate analytical perspective for the treatment of this problem” (Habermas 1992, 455). He also acknowledges, however, that the analytical perspective is not suffi cient by itself but requires “considerable empirical research” (Habermas 1992, 455), thereby posing a challenge to those who may be tempted to study the public sphere while drawing upon his discourse-centered theoretical approach.
