Reign of Appearances : The Misery and Splendor of the Public Sphere

The Public Sphere, Be It The Greek Agora Or The New York Times Op-ed Page, Is The Realm Of Appearances - Not Citizenship. Its Central Event Is Spectacle - Not Dialogue. Public Dialogue, The Mantra Of Many Intellectuals And Political Commentators, Is But A Contradiction In Terms. Marked By An Asymmetry Between The Few Who Act And The Many Who Watch, The Public Sphere Can Undermine Liberal Democracy, Law, And Morality. Inauthenticity, Superficiality, And Objectification Are The Very Essence Of The Public Sphere. But The Public Sphere Also Liberates Us From The Bondages Of Private Life And Fosters An Existentially Vital Aesthetic Experience. Reign Of Appearances Uses A Variety Of Cases To Reveal The Logic Of The Public Sphere, Including Homosexuality In Victorian England; The 2008 Crash; Antisemitism In Europe; Confidence In American Presidents; Communications In Social Media; Special Prosecutor Investigations; The Visibility Of African-americans; Violence During The French Revolution; The Islamic Veil; And Contemporary Sexual Politics. This Unconventional Account Of The Public Sphere Is Critical Reading For Anyone Who Wants To Understand The Effects Of Visibility In Urban Life, Politics, And The Media-- The Public Sphere Is The Realm Of Appearances - Not Citizenship. Its Central Event Is Spectacle - Not Dialogue. Marked By An Asymmetry Between The Few Who Act And The Many Who Watch And Subjecting All Its Contents To Visibility, The Public Sphere Can Undermine Liberal Democracy, Law, And Morality. Inauthenticity, Superficiality, And Objectification Are The Very Essence Of The Public Sphere. But The Public Sphere Also Liberates Us From The Burdens And Bondages Of Private Life And Fosters An Existentially Vital Aesthetic Experience. Reign Of Appearances Uses A Great Variety Of Cases To Reveal The Logic Of The Public Sphere, Including Homosexuality In Victorian England; The 2008 Crash; Antisemitism In Europe; Confidence In American Presidents; Communications In Social Media; Special Prosecutor Investigations; The Visibility Of African-americans; Violence During The French Revolution; The Islamic Veil; Contemporary Sexual Politics; Public Executions; And Pricing In Art. This Unconventional Account Of The Public Sphere Is Critical Reading For Anyone Who Wants To Understand The Effects Of Visibility In Urban Life, Politics, And The Media-- Machine Generated Contents Note: 1. A Critique; 2. A Realistic Perspective; 3. Publicity; 4. Politics In Public; 5. Content Regulation; 6. Visibility In Society; 7. Law And Morality In The Public Sphere; 8. A Defense Of Spectatorship; References; Index. Ari Adut. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Cover 1 Half title 3 Title 5 Copyright 6 Dedication 7 Epigraph 8 Contents 9 Preface 11 Acknowledgments 15 1 A Critique 17 Civicness and Civility 20 Citizenship 23 Egalitarian and Widespread Participation 24 Public Events 28 2 A Realistic Perspective 31 Types of Access 31 Private and Public 39 Physical and Virtual Public Spaces 51 Levels of Visibility 52 3 Publicity 59 Publicity and Common Knowledge 61 Collective Effects 73 Social Status Effects 75 4 Politics in Public 85 Use of Publicity 86 Discontents for Political Actors 91 American Presidents 94 Scandal and Politics 99 Liberal Democracy and Publicity 102 Visible Citizenship 106 5 Content Regulation 110 Censorship 110 Expansion 124 Contraction 127 6 Visibility in Society 134 Groups 134 Surveillance 148 7 Justice and Morality in the Public Sphere 152 Law 152 Moral Ambiguities 158 8 A Defense of Spectatorship 162 Endnotes 175 Chapter 1. A Critique 175 Chapter 2. A Realistic Perspective 178 Chapter 3. Publicity 181 Chapter 4. Politics in Public 183 Chapter 5. Content Regulation 186 Chapter 6. Visibility in Society 188 Chapter 7. Justice and Morality in the Public Sphere 190 Chapter 8. A Defense of Spectatorship 191 References 193 Index 217 "The public sphere is the realm of appearances - not citizenship. Its central event is spectacle - not dialogue. Marked by an asymmetry between the few who act and the many who watch and subjecting all its contents to visibility, the public sphere can undermine liberal democracy, law, and morality. Inauthenticity, superficiality, and objectification are the very essence of the public sphere. But the public sphere also liberates us from the burdens and bondages of private life and fosters an existentially vital aesthetic experience. Reign of Appearances uses a great variety of cases to reveal the logic of the public sphere, including homosexuality in Victorian England; the 2008 crash; antisemitism in Europe; confidence in American presidents; communications in social media; special prosecutor investigations; the visibility of African-Americans; violence during the French Revolution; the Islamic veil; contemporary sexual politics; public executions; and pricing in art. This unconventional account of the public sphere is critical reading for anyone who wants to understand the effects of visibility in urban life, politics, and the media"-- Provided by publisher