International Journal of Communication Publishes a Book Review Forum on Jürgen Habermas’s A New Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere and Deliberative Politics

Jürgen Habermas’s The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere is a landmark book that continues to have significant influence in communication studies since the publication of the 1989 English edition. It has been a source of inspiration for a rich literature on several topics – public deliberation, communication and citizenship, the role of news institutions in fostering knowledge and critical awareness, the changing forms of publicity and public life, and the impact of capitalist forces on the public sphere. For the past decades, the book has been a mandatory reference and gained canonical status, even if scholars believe that, aside from numerous strengths, the book has important limitations.

Therefore, it is not surprising that the 2023 publication of Habermas’s A New Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere and Deliberative Politics would garner significant interest. The book tackles several subjects at the center of contemporary communication studies, such as digital media/capitalism, rationality/emotion, gatekeeping, deliberation, and counter-publics. Habermas discusses these topics in relation to the long crisis of liberal democracy and the looming presence of anti-democratic threats.

It is fitting for the International Journal of Communication to host a forum on this book. Given the wide uses of Habermas’s work, we believe it would be pertinent to bring together different perspectives. We invited Sarah J. Jackson, Ya-Wen Lei, Barbara Pfetsch, Jefferson Pooley, Sue Curry Jansen, Andrea Wenzel, and Sandra Ball-Rokeach to offer their thoughts on A New Structural Transformation. As we hoped, their contributions are superb—critical, incisive, and comprehensive. Reading the reviews, I am reminded of the value of thinking ambitiously about core questions in communication studies. In a way, Habermas’ work continues to serve as a gathering place where scholars with different research foci meet to engage with shared questions and concerns. We hope that the forum sparks interest in the book, and ideas about critical issues in our beleaguered times.

We invite you to read these articles that published in the International Journal of Communication on October 17, 2024. Please log into ijoc.org to read the papers of interest. We look forward to your feedback!  

Silvio Waisbord
Editor

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A New Transformation of the Public Sphere? Questions on Identity, Power, and Affect
Sarah J. Jackson

The Decay of the Public Sphere and the Crisis of Liberal Democracy
Ya-Wen Lei

The Decline of Deliberative Democracy in the Age of Digital Capitalism: Revisiting Habermas’s
New Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere
Barbara Pfetsch

Habermas Between Facts and Norms: A Helping of Hope in Dark Times
Jefferson Pooley, Sue Curry Jansen

Can We Revitalize the Public Sphere From the Ground Up?
Andrea D. Wenzel, Sandra J. Ball-Rokeach

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Silvio Waisbord, Editor 
Kady Bell-Garcia, Managing Editor
Chi Zhang, Managing Editor, Special Sections
Mark Mangoba-Agustin, Webmaster

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