The making of a European public sphere: how far has it developed and how far can it go?

When?

Monday 24 November 2008, 17:00 to 18:30

Where?

Room 04AD00 AD Building University of Surrey

Open to:

Staff, Students, Public

Speaker:

Prof Paul Statham

Prof Paul Statham, University of Bristol

This paper examines the sphere of communication and interaction that is emerging across national borders and beyond European nations up to the supranational European Union level, within the European region. From a normative viewpoint, adequate communication is essential in response to the multi-levelling and spread of governance beyond national borders that has resulted from advancing European integration, not least to ensure effective links between political institutions and citizens. This is the thrust of the Habermas-inspired ‘European public sphere’ research. The emergence of a ‘European public sphere’ requires the dissemination of common European concerns, mobilised by political, media and civil society actors, to an extent that publics come to understand citizenship and belonging as at least in part transcending the nation-state.

This article assesses the extent and form of such developments, by drawing on and synthesizing the empirical findings of two large original cross-national studies. Important questions guiding the inquiry are, first, to what extent is there a sphere of communication that can be considered a European public sphere? This requires empirically assessing the extent forms, types and extent of communication patterns that are ‘Europeanized’ in mediated public discourses. Second, in what ways has the political space been transformed by this ‘Europeanization’ of communication, and with what consequences? This requires assessing how Europeanized communication transforms politics, or not, for example, which political actors gain access to Europeanized politics, and which positions do they take up? Is the participation of elites privileged over civil society actors, or EU actors over national ones? Who wins, who loses within this emergent mass-mediated communication over European governance? By examining the performance of political communication, it becomes possible to address whether the European Union’s perceived ‘democratic deficit’ is linked to and/or caused by a ‘communication deficit’. Finally, this study of Europe’s communication serves as a basis for examining to what extent cultural exchange is emerging across national borders. Is it possible for a sphere of political communication to develop and work effectively across the European region, given cultural factors such as the low level of citizens’ self-identifications with Europe, compared to their national countries of origin, and language differences?