Public Sphere

ARMANDO SALVATORE is Associate Professor of Sociology of Culture and Communication at Oriental Studies University, Naples, Italy and Senior Research Fellow (Heisenberg Fellow) at the Institute of Social Sciences, Humboldt University, Berlin, and the Institute for Advanced Study in the Humanities, Essen.

'This is an ambitious, original and sophisticated work that breaks new ground in several fields. Salvatore's comparative analysis of traditions and civilizations places the whole debate on the public sphere and civil society in a broader context. The discussion of parallels and connections between European and Islamic traditions is particularly insightful. The multi-traditional focus is underpinned by a distinctive hermeneutical approach that rescues the notion of genealogy from its postmodern practitioners and puts it to better uses. Philosophical and sociological interpretations of the Axial Age are drawn into dialogue with main currents in contemporary social theory. Last but not least, Salvatore proposes a new reading of Giambattista Vico, an enigmatic but crucially important figure in the history of European thought, and makes the most convincing case so far presented for his relevance to current debates.' - Johann P. Arnason, La Trobe University, Melbourne/Charles University, Prague'This is a book most remarkable for its scope and sophistication, destined to attain a strong impact in more than one field of scholarship. It contributes to an innovative and significant, multidisciplinary project, generally known as the study of 'multiple modernities'. One never has the impression that the author is overwhelmed by the richness and variety of the sources he mobilizes and debates.' - Gianfranco Poggi, Emeritus Professor of Sociology, University of Virginia, USA

• Introduction: For a Genealogy of the Public Sphere Religion, Civilization, and the Redefinition of Tradition Bridging Imagination, Practice, and Discourse The Public Reason of the Commoner The Collective Pursuit of Public Weal The Implosion of Traditions and the Redefinition of Common Sense The Modern Public Sphere: Transforming Practical Reason into Prudential Communication After Genealogy: Towards a Pluralist Theory of the Public Sphere