New Public Space and the Concept of “Being Public” in a Postmodern Age

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  • 新たな公共空間
  • アラタナ コウキョウ クウカン
  • 公共性概念とモダニティ

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How can the “Öffentlichkeit” (“being public”) be possible in our postmodern complex society? The most popular concept of “being public” is that of J. Habermas's “Bürgerliche Öffentlichkeit” (Bourgeois Public Sphere), which is based on the “grand narrative” of the modern industrial society.<BR>Now that such grand narratives are fading out under the influences of the information society as Lyotard points out, the concept of “being public” like a type of bourgeois public sphere cannnot but lose its theoretical and practical clearness.<BR>So this essay tries to clarify the modern element of the concept of “being public”, and proposes a new rising type of “being public” and public space.<BR>To accomplish this purpose, first in this paper, Habaerams'work is investigated, and next “new social movement” thesis of A. Melucci is examined. Through this survey, we can make it clear that their concepts of “being public” are showing some “modern” way of thinking. They are, as it were, restoring the falling narrative of Bürgerliche Öffentlichkeit.<BR>Recognizing this tendency, we would like to search a new type of the concept of “being public” and public space, which is growing in some associational relations such as NPO and NGO.<BR>To find a new adquate form of “being public”, we refer to N. Luhmann's system theory and “Risk Society” thesis of U. Beck. If the Habermas-Melucci type of the concept of “being public” is critically related to that of Luhmann and Beck type, we could obtain some suggestions, if vaguely, about a new form of “being public” in a postmodern age.

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