The European Public Sphere ― From Critical Thinking to Responsible Action

The development of a fully fledged European Public Sphere is seen by many as the solution to the legitimation crisis the European Union is suffering today. It is conceived as a space in which a Europe-wide debate about the current economic, social and political crises can take place and through which solutions can be developed.
This book proposes a new multi-disciplinary approach to discuss the European Public Sphere, arguing that it should be approached as a complex and interlinking concept, considering issues such as identity, citizenship building and multi-level governance structures and actors, and that it should not be analysed merely from the traditional perspectives of information and communication policies.
The volume presents both academic papers and more policy-oriented contributions, offering perspectives from scholars, politicians, consultants and administrators to give the reader a truly multidisciplinary understanding of the European Public Sphere.

Luciano Morganti is Assistant Professor at Vesalius College and Senior Researcher at IBBT/SMIT, Vrije Universiteit Brussels. He is the Chair of the International and Intercultural Communication Section of ECREA.
Leonce Bekemans holds the Jean Monnet Chair for Globalisation, Intercultural Dialogue and Inclusiveness in the EU at the University of Padua, where he is academic coordinator of the Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence and collaborates with the Interdepartmental Centre on Human Rights.