Public Modalities by Daniel C. Brouwer (Contribution by, Editor); Et al.ISBN: 9780817383619
Publication Date: 2010-04-01
Contributors to the volume--employing approaches from the fields of communication studies, English, sociology, psychology, and history--explore a broad range of texts and artifacts that give rise to publics, and discuss what they reveal about conceptualizations of social space. By focusing on process in public engagement, these scholars highlight questions of how people advance their interests and identities, and how they adapt to situational constraints. These case studies explore the implications of different ways of forming publics, including alternative means of expression (protests, culture jamming); the intersection of politics and consumerism (how people express their identities and interests through their consumer behavior); and online engagement (blogs as increasingly important public fora). In doing so, they raise important questions of access, community, and political efficacy.