WP6 Communicative Public Spaces’ Roles in the Articulation of a European Public Sphere
MB (Osnabrück Univ.), AhÖ (Sabanci Univ.) See below
Based on the collected data, the features of sub-European public spaces will be mapped (cf. B1 for the features in focus); the factors that lead to higher citizen involvement in European policy issues will be uncovered; the empirical forms of public space that are open to and inclusive of Europe will be identified. In this analysis the units of observation are social/political actors, and the units of analysis are communicative public spaces. This means that social/political actors will be treated as components/sub-spaces of communicative public spaces. Here, the key data analysis activity will focus on the interrelationships and patterns/substance of interactions between the different types of social/political actors claiming to belong to or speaking on behalf of the same communicative public space (e.g., the substance/patterns of interaction between a political party, a social movement, a media actor, and a think tank). In each type of communicative public space, we will also analyze the dominant discourses of public sphere, citizenship, involvement, etc. of which social/political actors are part of. These analyses analysis will result in knowledge of the elements/features of openness/closure in these communicative public spaces. The following sub-components are included:
WP6.1 Features of Essentialized Spaces
ML (Tallinn University) GD (Granada Univ.), MB (Osnabrück University)
In this comparative analysis activity, the political parties, think tanks, social movements, and media actors which are found to exhibit an explicit affiliation with ethnic/religious public spaces will be focused on and their features will be analyzed in one frame. The analysis should identify the dominant discourses relating to different public spaces and the European Public Sphere, discourses about the four issues of EUROSPHERE’s focus as well as the interrelationships and patterns of interaction between the different kinds of social/political actors that are operating within this space. Mikko Lagerspetz will develop the comparative analysis frame wrt the EUROSPHERE project. Michael Bommes will focus on the patterns and issues of interaction between different social political actors. Günther Dietz will focus on the dominant discourses about EUROSPHERE’s four policy issues. Mikko Lagerspetz will synthesize the findings. Based on these, the task group will assess the degree of essentialized spaces’ openness towards different types of public spaces, and specifically towards the idea of a European Public Sphere.
WP6.2 Features of National Spaces
MS (Helsinki University) WD(FMSH), AhÖ (Sabanci Univ.)
In this comparative analysis activity, the political parties, think tanks, social movements, and media actors which are found to exhibit an explicit affiliation with national spaces will be focused on and their features will be analyzed in one frame. The analysis should identify the dominant discourses relating to different public spaces and the European Public Sphere, discourses about the four issues of EUROSPHERE’s focus as well as the interrelationships and patterns of interaction between the different kinds of social/political actors that are operating within this space. Matti Simila will develop the comparative analysis frame along the lines that are described in the EUROSPHERE project. Ahmet Öncü will focus on the patterns and issues of interaction between different social political actors. Wanda Dressler will focus on the dominant discourses about EUROSPHERE’s four policy issues. Matti Simila will synthesize the
findings. Based on these, the task group will assess the degree of national spaces’ openness towards different types of public spaces, and specifically towards the idea of a European Public Sphere.
WP6.3 Features of Transnational Spaces
GS (Trento University) RB (Austrian Academy), VB (Amsterdam Univ.)
In this comparative analysis activity, the political parties, think tanks, social movements, and media actors which are found to exhibit an explicit affiliation with transnational spaces will be focused on and their features will be analyzed in one frame. The analysis should identify the dominant discourses relating to different public spaces and the European Public Sphere, discourses about the four issues of EUROSPHERE’s focus as well as the interrelationships and patterns of interaction between the different kinds of social/political actors that are operating within these spaces. Giuseppe Sciortino will develop the comparative analysis frame along the lines that are described in the EUROSPHERE project. Veit Bader will focus on the patterns and issues of interaction between different social political actors. Rainer Bauböck will focus on the dominant discourses about EUROSPHERE’s four policy issues. Giuseppe Sciortino will synthesize the findings. Based on these, the task group will assess the degree of transnational spaces’ openness towards different types of public spaces, and specifically towards the idea of a European Public Sphere.
WP6.4 Features of Glocal Spaces
HS (Bergen University) MKB (Czech Academy), YZ (Bulgarian Academy)
In this comparative analysis activity, the political parties, think tanks, social movements, and media actors which are found to exhibit an explicit affiliation with glocal spaces will be focused on and their features will be analyzed in one frame. The analysis should identify the dominant discourses relating to different public spaces and the European Public Sphere, discourses about the four issues of EUROSPHERE’s focus as well as the interrelationships and patterns of interaction between the different kinds of social/political actors that are operating within this space. Hakan Sicakkan will develop the comparative analysis frame along the lines that are described in the EUROSPHERE project. Martina Klicperova-Baker will focus on the patterns and issues of interaction between different social political actors. Yolanda Zografova will focus on the dominant discourses about EUROSPHERE’s four policy issues. Hakan Sicakkan will synthesize the findings. Based on these, the task group will assess the degree of glocal spaces’ openness towards different types of public spaces, and specifically towards the idea of a European Public Sphere.
WP6.5 Features of Eurospaces
VB (Amsterdam University) HS (Bergen University), GS (Trento Univ.)
In this comparative analysis activity, the political parties, think tanks, social movements, and media actors which are found to exhibit an explicit affiliation with eurospaces will be focused on and their features will be analyzed in one frame. The analysis should identify the dominant discourses relating to different public spaces and the European Public Sphere, discourses about the four issues of EUROSPHERE’s focus as well as the interrelationships and patterns of interaction between the different kinds of social/political actors that are operating within this space. Veit Bader will develop the comparative analysis frame along the lines that are described in the EUROSPHERE project. Hakan Sicakkan will focus on the patterns and issues of interaction between different social political actors. Giuseppe Sciortino will focus on the dominant discourses about EUROSPHERE’s four policy issues. Veit Bader will synthesize the findings. Based on these, the task group will assess the degree of eurospaces’ openness towards different types of public spaces, and specifically towards the idea of a European Public Sphere.
WP6.6 Integrating the Gender Perspective
BS (Aalborg University) AGA (Sabanci University)
This component aims to integrate the gender perspective into the analyses presented in sections 4.1, 4.2, and 4.3 The lead partner and members of this component will participate in these other three components. Thus, this component is not a separate, independent workpackage, but a horizontal research integration and innovation activity along the gender dimension. EUROSPHERE’s theoretical methodological approaches as well as the data collection and analysis tools will take into consideration the factor of intersectionality by measuring the combined impacts of different combinations of gender with other types of belonging such as race, ethnicity, sexuality, territorial belonging, religion, etc. Birthe Siim will be leading the genderintegration work in all the aforementioned workpackages and task groups. Aysegül Altinay will also be contributing to this work.
