Essays on Public Sphere

The public sphere is the domain of peoples’ social lives where public opinion can be created. Virtually all people are at liberty to join the public sphere. Jürgen Habermas is a German sociologist and philosopher who came up with the discussion of the basis of the public sphere. He explains it as the space in which individuals join one another forming the public and use their rationale to examine the strength of the state, which he termed as the bourgeois public sphere. This was a group which stood up against the tyrannical states (Sagepub, n.d). In this way, ...

As much as there has been the creation of employment opportunities massively generated by the oil industry in the Middle East and North African nations, there are still significant disparities on the level of women participation in the labor force as noted by Massoud and Moghadam (53). These disparities have been attributed to various factors, but the most outstanding reasons have remained to be two-fold; first, the traditional gender paradigm characterized by patriarchy play a significant role accompanied by occupational segregation which is mainly defined by disparities in the income level. This thesis paper explores the validity of the ...

The public sphere is a unique "space" in which a big amount of citizens lives and interacts, and each of them is different from each other. If one considers the emergence and transformation of the public sphere, for example, from the times of Antiquity to the present day, it becomes evident that the public sphere is created and changed mainly due to interpersonal communication. In addition, the public sphere has many different issues that have a significant impact on the state and the society. These problems may be associated with the inequality, which is manifested at different levels of ...

There is a connection between developing ideas and the creation of artworks. Media also plays a role in this process because people today cannot function without the influence of media. These spheres are interconnected and interrelated because of the fact that people live in ‘global village’ as Marshall McLuhan stated. Media plays a role in improvement of ideas because of its omnipresence and it has impact on people’s minds and on the process of creation. The fact that medium is the message, as McLuhan stated, supports the viewpoint that media is the extension of man and so is ...

Gender is a very powerful category and one that many different people have used in order to explain culture and society. The role of women in society had for the longest time been constricted to the private sphere, the home, taking care of the children and being the primary Linchpin that could take care of the family and be the emotional and often moral center of the family. Women in the course of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries have gained more rights and have fought for equality with men. When Korean families immigrated to the United States in the ...

Literature analysis: “Trifles”

“Trifles” is a one-act play written by Susan Glaspell and it deals with the murder of John Wright. The play is about feminism because women protect one another although they seem to be dependent on their husbands. The main theme in the story is Mrs. Wright’s guilt and although it is not proven, it is implicated, bit the women still protect her. The characters in the story are: County Attorney, Henderson, the Sheriff, his wife, Mrs. Peters, Hale, a farmer who is a neighbor and his wife Mrs. Hale. Mrs. Wright is deprived of her name as are ...

The sociological discourse of the 21st century persists on the topic of gender and gender roles, as ascribed by the society for decades, which continue to connect women to the domestic sphere, in a submissive manner, and men to the public sphere, in a dominant manner. In the current modern society, men and women are represented in both the domestic and the public sphere due to social changes that encouraged women participation in the labor work and men’s involvement in the private sphere (Duffy 113). Nevertheless, there are still proves that women continue to be associated with the ...

Introduction

There may be different views about the influence of social media on the people’s lives, but it is absolutely evident that in the contemporary world the types and modes of communication became sophisticated due to the rapid technological process. The launch of the social media such as Facebook, Twitter or Reddit might have been one of the greatest technological breakthroughs in the 2000s. In 2006, Time magazine recognized the importance of the social media and wrote the following phrase on the cover of the “Person of the Year” edition: ‘You. Yes, you. You control the Information Age. Welcome ...

INTERNET AND DEMOCRACY

Internet and Democracy The internet has an impact on all aspects of life. Its impact on democracy is quite evident. Thus, the Internet should not be viewed as a single asset of interconnected computers with links and relevant protocols but a powerful tool that can impinge on almost every aspect of life. While some people may use it for different purposes, it can be said that the internet has a great effect on democracy. However, the biggest puzzle is whether it enhances democracy or contributes to its decline. However, most research carried out is rather normative as opposed to ...

This paper will examine three works that discuss how definitions are developed to create social norms or identities, specifically, Eickelman and Salvatore (2002), Euben (2002) and Ghannam (2002). Eickelman and Salvatore discuss how a public space is used as a forum to define moral behavior and the common good. Euben argues against the notion that jihad is a fixed set of rules that advocate a violent and fanatical reaction to increasing globalization powered by the West (2002). Ghannam uses the concept of private and public domains to determine what is “seen” and what remains “unseen” and thus allowing movement ...

Introduction

Human sexuality is a vital part of existence, carrying the reproductive function but also the interaction and the need for intimacy and love. The mere existence of human species is due to sexuality, which is one of the basic needs for living. From the most ancient times, or from the biblical beginning of Adam and Eve, sexuality is entrenched in human behavior as a necessary condition for spreading the human species, but also as a capacity for sharing loving feelings towards another human being. Although the effects of sexuality are visible in the public spheres through relationships and/or children ...

People have recognized that the modern technological advances that we experience up until now have come with grave implications on environmental issues. Policy makers, debates, and public deliberations on environmental issues are now geared to solving these problems. However, the awareness from the public is not entirely borne out of first hand experiences. After all, we are all not scientists here. The mass media is, in part, responsible for steering public attention towards the myriad environmental issues. Mass media, from its print era to the digital age era of internet and smartphones have always been responsible in both creating ...

THE ENLIGHTENMENT AND THE FRENCH REVOLUTION

The French Revolution was known for its blood-lined streets, rioting peasants, and terrifying regime changes. However, all death and destruction aside, the protesters of this time were heavily influenced by the thinkers that had come before them and brought new ideas to light. While the results were bloody, the intentions were lodged in modern thought. The Enlightenment was a time that influenced many historical movements in the future and had a significant impact on the political structure of France before and after the revolution. The driving force behind this movement was the writings of the philosophes and their contributions ...

Introduction

It has become difficult to distinguish once traditional media from the new media, as the former have integrated all the capabilities of the latter. In such a scenario, it would help to compare a traditional medium of communication with a relatively modern/new medium with respect to the circumstances around their origin, and how did they facilitate interpersonal and mass communication. This essay will discuss and analyze two cases: coffee houses as really old media, and podcasts as new media. While the coffee houses gained importance in Europe the mid-1600, and have been around since then, their importance as facilitators ...

Throughout the novel, Max Havelaar, there are different narratives, each describing or talking about the world that they inhabit. The narratives offer a view of what the characters think of each other and the system that they live under. The novel is full of interwoven storylines. Together with the narrative of the Multatuli, Droogstoppel and Stern are the native stories. The narratives and the stories in the novel lead to the conclusion that there are different stories told from the perspective of the actors. James Scott in his work, “Behind the Official Story” describes the presence of the public, ...

Political cartoons are a common way for many artists to make a social commentary without sparking a national debate. In the past they have been used to represent issues of the time within the social context, and were published in journals and newspapers. These newspapers circulated all over the country, with different variations per province, and were used for mass media production of ideas and messages. An important message circulating through the press in Canada in the early twentieth century was the suffragist movement, during which women fought for their right to vote and be recognized as equal citizens ...