Reign of Appearances: The Misery and Splendor of the Public Sphere (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9781107180932)

The public sphere is the realm of appearances - not citizenship. Its central event is spectacle - not dialogue. Marked by an asymmetry between the few who act and the many who watch, and subjecting all its contents to visibility, the public sphere can undermine liberal democracy, law, and morality. But the public sphere also liberates us from the burdens and bondages of private life and fosters an existentially vital aesthetic experience. Reign of Appearances uses a great variety of cases to reveal the logic of the public sphere, including homosexuality in Victorian England; the 2008 crash; antisemitism in Europe; confidence in American presidents; communications in social media; special prosecutor investigations; the visibility of African-Americans; violence during the French Revolution; the Islamic veil; contemporary sexual politics; public executions; and pricing in art. This unconventional account of the public sphere is critical reading for anyone who wants to understand the effects of visibility in urban life, politics, and the media.

Author: Ari Adut
ISBN-10: 1107180937
ISBN-13: 9781107180932
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Language: English
Published: 03/15/2018
Pages: 218
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 0.98lbs
Size: 9.30h x 6.21w x 0.78d

Review Citation(s):
Choice 10/01/2018