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The use of the concept of public sphere by critical communication scholars in Turkey
Kejanlioglu, B. (2012). The use of the concept of public sphere by critical communication scholars in Turkey. 4th European Communication Conference ECREA, Istanbul: 24-27 October.
Abstract: The use of the concept of public sphere has become widespread in Turkey after a debate over women's veiling in "public" buildings. Public authorities have used the concept to imply a ban on headscarves in state buildings, schools and universities. Even though the secularists versus Islamists positioning has had a long history in Turkish political scene, the association of the concept of public sphere with "the authoritarian secular state operating against citizens/Muslims" has served to deepen the polarisation. Ironically, "public sphere" could be a critical concept against such polarised comprehension of the relations between state and citizens, between secularists and Islamists/(Muslims?), and had already been widely discussed by academic and intellectual circles in Turkey. One of the prevailing fields in this discussion had/has been the media studies, others being political philosophy and sociology. This prevalence, I argue, has all to do with the critical approach to media and politics, developed in Ankara University.
