Gendered spaces and the public realm

Abstract

In Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere (1989), Jurgen Habermas argued that the public sphere in a democratic capitalist society is the conceptual arena in which private persons deliberate about public matters. Habermas's public sphere is a voluntary political enterprise that exists independently of either the state or the economy. Theoretically inclusive and accessible to all, it is the arena in which matters are decided collectively for the good of the entire society. The public sphere is the place, in fact, where the definition of “public good” is determined. For Habermas, the ideal public sphere flourished with the ascent of the liberal middle-class of the 19th century, but has declined in the contemporary era of mass media and consumerism.

Citation

Spain, D. (2008), "Gendered spaces and the public realm", DeSena, J.N. (Ed.) Gender in an Urban World (Research in Urban Sociology, Vol. 9), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 9-28. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1047-0042(07)00001-3