Concepts Of Civil Society And Public Sphere

Concepts of “Civil Society” and “Public Sphere” Dr. Trần Hữu Quang 09/03/2007 The concept of “Civil Society” has two specific meanings, one dates back to 18th century with Scottish Enlightenment theory, especially with Adam Ferguson, and another one in the 19th century in Germany with George Hegel •

Adam Ferguson (1723-1816): considered “Civil Society” as a state of civility and as a consequence of civilization. A civil society is a civilized society with a nondespotic state and polished manners, in contrast to a rude, barbaric society with a despotic state (An Essay on the History of Civil Society, 1767).

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George W. F. Hegel (1770-1831): “Civil Society” = an intermediate institution between the family and the political relations of the state (The Philosophy of History, 1837). Civil society is not formed by contract, but is the sphere of contract, i.e. of free association between individuals. Civil society is one aspect (or phase, or “moment”) of the political order, another aspect of which is the state.

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Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels: there is a basic dichotomy between “Civil Society” (the ensemble of socio-economic relations and forces of production) and the state (the superstructural manifestation of class relations inside civil society). “Civil society is the true source and theatre of all history”(The German Ideology, 1845) that means, the explanation of political events, legal changes and cultural development is to be sought in the development of the structure of civil society. According to Marx, “Civil Society” is a new form of social life under capitalism, to be distinguished from the medieval world in which social relations were shaped primarily by family ties and the political bonds of feudalism and the craft guild.

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Antonio Gramsci (1891-1937): distinguishes between “Civil Society” and “Political Society” (i.e. the state). The “Civil Society” lies between the coercive relations of the state and the economic sphere of production, i.e. that area of social life which appears as the realm of the private citizen and individual consent. In capitalist countries, the institutions of the “Civil Society” are: the churches, the family, schools, mass media and even trade unions. These “Ideological Apparatuses” secured the consent or agreement (consensus) of the dominated classes under the domination of the capitalist class, besides economic domination and the political domination (Selections from the Prison Notebooks, 1971). Therefore, “Civil Society” is the bastion of class hegemony, and ultimately supportive of the state.

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The “Civil Society” is “defined as the set of intermediate associations which are neither the state nor the (extended) family; civil society therefore includes voluntary associations and firms and over corporate bodies” (Iain McLean, ed., Concise Dictionary of Politics, Oxford Univ. Press, 1996).

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The concept “Civil Society” refers to public life rather than private or householdbased activities, and normally refers to socio-economic life as distinct from the state.

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“The key aspect [of civil society] is the existence of an intermediate ‘zone’ between private life and the state, where independent voluntary collective associations and organizations can opera feely. A precondition for this is freedom of association and expression, including the necessary means, amongst which the media are very important. Free media can thus be regarded as an institution of civil society.” (Denis McQuail, McQuail’s Mass Communication Theory, 4th edition, London, Sage Publications, 2002, p. 492)

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Public Sphere: According to Jürgen Habermas, the “Public Sphere” (or “Publicity”, in German: “Öffentlichkeit”) is a space in which anyone can participate without external pressure. It is a forum for “rational-critical debate” among people. Therefore the use of the public opinion, and thus this a sphere is also a necessary condition for a democracy. The “Public Sphere” didn’t exist yet in the Middle Ages, but appears only in capitalist societies, comprising newspaper, associations, clubs, cafeteria, etc. (Jürgen Habermas, The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere, 1962; The Philosophical Discourse on Modernity)

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Public Sphere: “The conceptual ‘space’ that exists in a society outside the immediate circle of private life and the walls of enclosed institutions and organizations pursuing their own (albeit sometimes public) goals. In this space, the possibility exists for public association and debate leading to the formation of public opinion and political movement and parties that can hold private interest accountable. The media are now probably the key institution of the public sphere, and its ‘quality’ will depend on the quality if media. Taken to extremes, certain structural tendencies of media, including concentration, commercialization and globalization. Are harmful to the public sphere.” (Denis McQuais, op., cit., p.502)