A classic critique of Habermas' renowned notion of the public sphere

The "public sphere" is a key concept in political discourse, designating a space for political action. But is this a single authoritative and universal space in which various positions compete for recognition, or does it consist of multiple local spaces spread over diverse collectivities? In Kluge and Negt's groundbreaking book they examine the material conditions of experience in an arena that had previously figured only as an abstract term: the media of mass and consumer culture.

With new, up-to-date introduction from Alexander Kluge.

"Kluge is a direct link to many of the giants of 20th-century German art and ideas ... a polymath who moves between literature, philosophy and the moving image with equal facility, and has made decisive contributions to each of those fields." - Financial Times

"Two authors who, individually and collaboratively, have done much to shape post-war left-wing theory in Germany. Though less well-known in the English-speaking world, to a German readership they are familiar and key figures of critical theory." - Marx and Philosphy