The Public Sphere as a Field of Struggle

Dieter RuchtInstitute for Protest and Social Movement Studies

Open seminar

‘The Democratic Public Sphere’

Aarhus, 8 March 2013

The public/public sphere

…is a field/system) of communication that everybody may access as an interested observer and in which, at least in principle, everybody can take part.

My focus is on public communication with regard to „res publica“, i.e. matters that, in the wide sense of the word, have a political dimension.

1. Some conceptual thoughts & tools2. Looking far back: Creating (a democratic) public

space 3. Struggles from the 60s to the 80s4. More recent struggles5. Outcomes & perspectives

Main thesis

The (modern) public sphere is, first, the result of social and political struggles and, second, constantly shaped and restructured by such struggles.

Therefore, it is not a given but a historically contingent social and legal construction.

1. Some conceptual thoughts & tools

Three types of publics:

- Informal encounters (few to few; no division of roles)

- Organized assemblies(few to many; division of roles)

- Mass media (few to – potentially- everybody, division of roles)

(Gerhards/Neidhardt 1990)

Figure 3: Model of Political Interest Mediation

Enviroment 1:Private sphere

Enviroment 2:Non-public

political sphere

Public domain

Systems oforganised interests

Citizens,Groups,Socialmilieus

Political-administrative

systemMass media

Parties

Associations

Movements

Source: adopted from Rucht 1995: 108.

Dimensions of struggles

1. One can broadly distinguish between struggles that explicitly relate to the structure and the rules of the public sphere on the one hand, and, on the other hand, struggles that take place in the public sphere but do not, or only indirectly, affect the structures and rules of this sphere.

2. Struggles focus onWho can/should take part? A former terrorist?

What can/should be covered? Private life of politicians?

What is a legitimate interest, claim, Minority rights? Denial of

argument? Holocaust?

How can/should it be expressed? Legitimacy of civil disobedience?

3. These struggles are essentially about drawing boundaries.

„The Quadruple A“

Reactions/strategies of social movement groups to exclusion and distortion

- Abstention

- Attac

- Adaptation

- Alternatives

(Rucht 2004)

2. Looking back: Creating a „democratic“ public space

Dominant struggles;

• Abolishing censorship• Creating physical and social spaces for free speech,

assemblies, organizations…• Publicness of political and juridical procedures• Establishing and protecting independent mass media

„Policing of protest“ in the past

3. Struggles from the 60s to the 80s

Dominant: Attack and alternatives

Physical attacks in the late 60s (Springer press, Berlin etc., La Stampa, Torino)

Establishing ‚autonomous‘ and ‚alternative‘ media addressing movement milieus (e.g., Informationsdienst zur Verbreitung unterbliebener Nachrichten, Lies of our Times, Free Radios…)

Entering the mass market (Klassenkampen,

Libération, tageszeitung, Kontext-TV, Kontext-paper)

3. Recent struggles

Dominant: adaptation, alternatives, andmulti-functional new media

Establishing sophisticated autonomous media (e.g., Adbusters, MoveOn, Campact, avaaz)Watching other media (Media Watch, Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, BILDBlog, Action Critique Médias…) Creating new public spaces (e.g, social forums)Establishing internal ‚autonomous spaces‘ (ESFs)Public or private? Train stations, airports, squares, political councelling, LobbyControl…)Fighting surveillance in private and public spheres Controlling the internet and surveilling online communication (e.g. ACTA)

Adaptation: Designing Protest for Mass Media

Alternatives & Adaptation:Press center of „ausgestrahlt“, Hamburg 24.42010

5. Outcomes and Perspectives

• Inflation of claims and calls for action (mainly due to lower transaction costs via internet)

• Rapid mobilization and unpredictability of net-based campaigns

• Public recognition of the role of protest in and for democracy

• Professionalization of protesters‘ PR• Sophisticated counter-strategies (press officers

by the police, embedded journalists, fake citizen groups, rent-a-demonstrator…)

Offering „nice“ pictures

Protest in formal institutions

Recognition: Person of the year 2011

Thanks for

your attention!

Confiscated water pistol telegraph, 22.6.2007

Demonstrationsgeschehen in Berlin laut Behörden, 1985-2011

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