Global Communication and Transnational Public Spheres (The Palgrave Macmillan Series in International Political Communication)

Information and communication technologies (ICT) enable citizens to communicate across state borders with greater ease than ever before, exciting much speculation about the emergence of transnational public spheres. This highly original work introduces this debate to International Relations, by investigating the socio-political implications of ICT in a global governance framework. Classic Habermasian theory is radically reconstructed to take account of contemporary trends in state sovereignty and global civil society. It is argued that if access is not widened and free speech not sufficiently protected, the early promise of ICT as a liberating force will be neutralized. Cover......Page 1 Contents......Page 8 Acknowledgments......Page 10 1 Introducing Transnational Public Spheres to International Relations......Page 12 2 Reconstructing Habermasian Public Sphere Theory......Page 34 3 Contending Theories of Transnational Public Spheres: Propositions for an Alternative Analytical Framework......Page 58 4 The Information Age: Transborder Communicative Capacity......Page 80 5 The Rise of Global Governance: Transformations in Sites of Political Authority......Page 116 6 Global Civil Society: Transnational Networks of Mutual Affinity......Page 148 7 Conclusion......Page 196 Notes......Page 210 Bibliography......Page 214 D......Page 240 G......Page 241 I......Page 242 P......Page 243 T......Page 244 Z......Page 245 Information and communication technologies (ICT) enable citizens to communicate across state borders with greater ease than ever before, exciting much speculation about the emergence of transnational public spheres. This highly original work introduces this debate to International Relations, by investigating the socio-political implications of ICT in a global governance framework. Classic Habermasian theory is radically reconstructed to take account of contemporary trends in state sovereignty and global civil society. It is argued that if access is not widened and free speech not sufficiently protected, the early promise of ICT as a liberating force will be neutralized. http://www.loc.gov/catdir/enhancements/fy0730/2007023401-d.html.