An Italian public sphere

This special issue of the Journal of Modern Italian Studies takes Jurgen Habermas's landmark analysis of the modern public sphere as its point of departure for exploring the Italians' historical relation to democracy. The introduction first sketches the innovative dimensions of Habermas's effort to ground the legitimacy of modern democracy in the open, reasoned dialogue of an independent public opinion. It then raises questions about the status of the public sphere in contemporary Italy, especially in light of the prolonged prominence of former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi at the summit of governmental power. In this context, the emergence, development and historical specificity of Italy's democratic public arena and its institutions need to be interrogated. The introduction provides an overview of the perspectives and insights offered by this issue's participants on the different aspects of the Italian public sphere. It also begins to assess the limitations as well as potential of the Italians' commi...