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 Front Matter....Pages i-ix Introducing Transnational Public Spheres to International Relations....Pages 1-21 Reconstructing Habermasian Public Sphere Theory....Pages 23-46 Contending Theories of Transnational Public Spheres: Propositions for an Alternative Analytical Framework....Pages 47-68 The Information Age: Transborder Communicative Capacity....Pages 69-103 The Rise of Global Governance: Transformations in Sites of Political Authority....Pages 105-136 Global Civil Society: Transnational Networks of Mutual Affinity....Pages 137-183 Conclusion....Pages 185-197 Back Matter....Pages 199-234 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. This book explores global communication issues in an international relations context. Crack radically reconstructs classic Habermasian theory to take account of contemporary developments such as global media, the evolving nature of state sovereignty and international civil society