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Beyond 'In so far as' Questions

Contingent Social Imaginaries of the European Public Sphere

Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Tampere, 33014, Finland, Heikki.heikkila{at}uta.fi

Sociological analysts of the European public sphere (EPS) are not great believers in the assumption that an EPS will emerge. The argument stems from cumulative empirical evidence stating that contemporary communication structures and practices do not live up to the ideals of the public sphere; not even in their moderate forms. While this line of analysis is useful, it runs the risk of ignoring the fact that the public sphere is not a fixed, but an emergent concept. In order to safeguard this emergent aspect, it is proposed that we should move forward from `insofar as' questions and start looking for social imaginaries of an EPS in more `unlikely places'. A plausible object for such scrutiny would be the European Union and its information policies.

Key Words: European public sphere • European Union • information policies • social imaginaries • White Paper

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European Journal of Communication, Vol. 22, No. 4, 427-441 (2007)
DOI: 10.1177/0267323107083060


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This Article Abstract Free Full Text (Free PDF) Free Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in Web of Science Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Heikkilä, H. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                         What's this?