Re-imagining a European Public Sphere

This study examines the concept and nature of
public space in the European Union in the domain of
foreign policy. It seeks to establish criteria for
identifying the presence of a common European public
sphere and assess to what extent it is possible to
observe one among EU member states. Adapting ideal
type conceptualisations and using insights from
social theory and discourse analysis, the thesis
focuses on the role and nature of communicative
actors, their discursive relationships and the
structural settings within which their discourses
occur, in order to show whether a convergence of
foreign policy discourses is occurring across
national borders, and whether this convergence
constitutes a locus for foreign policy debate which
challenges the traditional paradigm of the nation
state as the arena for public argumentation. The
proposition it elaborates is that discursive
convergence across national borders is a necessary
but insufficient indicator of a post-national sphere:
an authentic European public sphere requires in
addition institutions, identity narratives and
leadership rhetoric. The work presents three case
studies from the 'War on Terrorism'.

Autorentext

Mary Martin is a Research Fellow at the Centre for the Study ofGlobal Governance, the London School of Economics, where she is director of communications and research for the Human Security Programme. Her researchcovers the changing nature of conflict. She was previously a journalist for the Guardianand Daily Telegraph Newspapers.

Klappentext

This study examines the concept and nature ofpublic space in the European Union in the domain offoreign policy. It seeks to establish criteria foridentifying the presence of a common European publicsphere and assess to what extent it is possible toobserve one among EU member states. Adapting idealtype conceptualisations and using insights fromsocial theory and discourse analysis, the thesisfocuses on the role and nature of communicativeactors, their discursive relationships and thestructural settings within which their discoursesoccur, in order to show whether a convergence offoreign policy discourses is occurring acrossnational borders, and whether this convergenceconstitutes a locus for foreign policy debate whichchallenges the traditional paradigm of the nationstate as the arena for public argumentation. Theproposition it elaborates is that discursiveconvergence across national borders is a necessarybut insufficient indicator of a post-national sphere:an authentic European public sphere requires inaddition institutions, identity narratives andleadership rhetoric. The work presents three casestudies from the 'War on Terrorism'.