The Public Sphere

This book explores conceptual and institutional developments of the notion of the public sphere in the West and in the Islamic world, tackling historic ruptures spanning the formation and transformation of the Euro-Mediterranean world. Set against an imploding grammar of socio-political life, the modern liberal public sphere appears in a new light.

'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<

'Salvatore's The Public Sphere offers one of the most ambitious and original attempts at social-theoretical reconstruction which I have read in a long time. Its aim is nothing less than the theoretical-practical rehabilitation of 'tradition' as the foundation of public reason in the public sphere. But the purpose of this rehabilitation is neither traditionalist nor conservative. . .the book offers highly insightful and original contributions to social theory as well as to comparative historical analysis.' - José Casanova, Archives Européennes de Sociologie/European Journal of Sociology

'Here is a study that is impressively multi-disciplinary and genuinely cross-cultural; a veritable intellectual adventure that is rewarding for academics and intellectuals of every hue and stripe. Whether your interest be modern theory or medieval hermeneutics, whether it is the sociology of religion or political theology that attracts you, or whether you simply want to understand contemporary politics and the ideological underpinnings of its rhetoric ('War on Terror'), Salvatore's volume ought to be on your reading list.' - S. Parvez Manzoor, Journal of Islamic Studies

'a great achievement contemporary sociological theory will be greatly enriched' - David L. Johnston, The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences

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.