Transnationalization of Public Spheres (Hardback)

Beskrivelser af Transnationalization of Public Spheres

Forlagets beskrivelse

This book takes a fresh look at a widely debated question in international relations and political communication research: How can public discourses contribute to democratic governance beyond the nation state? The book combines quantitative and qualitative analyses of media content and evaluates them from a democratic theory perspective. 44, 12 black & white tables, 32 figures

Bibliotekernes beskrivelse

Where can European citizens find public information and debate about political matters of common concern? In the absence of strong pan-European media the national news media prove critical for the emergence of a European public sphere. But are political debates in the national media more Europeanized today than they were two decades ago? And if so, do national media merely look to Brussels more nowadays or are they also debating issues across national borders more intensely? Are national discourses converging over time in the issues, opinions, arguments and Identity elements they carry? This book presents the first long-term study of the transnationalization of national public discourses in five European countries, Austria, Denmark, France, Germany and the United Kingdom. Combining quantitative and qualitative content analysis of broadsheet newspapers, the authors uncover the as yet nationally segmented character of Europeanization in the media and identify the factors that foster and inhibit it. In conclusion, they provide an original normative appraisal of the levels and patterns of Europeanization achieved to date. The book will prove important to students of media and communication, political science, European studies and anybody interested in the media's contribution to bringing Europeans closer to each other.