Counterpublic Studies

Photo by Renata Armelin

Call for papers: Counterpublic Studies

In 2022, a triple anniversary will be celebrated: 50 years since the publication of the book Öffentlichkeit und Erfahrung [Public Sphere and Experience], by sociologist Oskar Negt and filmmaker Alexander Kluge; 30 years since the publication of the chapter "Rethinking the Public Sphere", by philosopher Nancy Fraser; and 20 years since the publication of the anthology Publics and Counterpublics, by literary theorist Michael Warner.

Each of these writings represented a fundamental contribution to advance critiques of the limits of Habermas's critical theoretical approach to the public sphere and, thus, establishing the groundwork for post-Habermasian social theories, particularly having in mind of the concept of "counterpublics".

The concept of counterpublic seems to be one of the relatively rare cases of an original contribution of critical theory that has been appropriated and developed by traditional theory, which has consolidated in the last two decades a specific field of studies. Today, Counterpublic Studies are a vibrant interdisciplinary field that encompasses Communication Studies, Literary Theory, Philosophy, Anthropology, Political Science, Sociology and several other scientific disciplines and produces theoretical and empirical research on the new structural changes of publics and counterpublics not only in the Global North but increasingly in the Global South.

We invite submissions of articles for the “Counterpublic Studies” Dossier. Here are some suggested topics for articles responding to this call:

(1) theoretical articles on:

(1.1) implications, dilemmas and potentialities of the circulation of the concept of counterpublic from the Global North toward the Global South;

(1.2) the impact on counterpublics of the culture industry or the consciousness industry and of new information and communication technologies such as the internet and social media;

(1.3) the relationship between psychoanalysis, public sphere theory, and counterpublic studies; and

(1.4) ethical and political-normative horizons underlying counterpublic theories; as well as

(2) empirical articles on:

(2.1) subaltern publics and counterpublics (proletarians, feminists, anti-racists, LGBTQ+, indigenous, and multiple intersectionalities between diverse systems of oppression);

(2.2) the imbrications of subaltern publics into dominant publics through the institutionalizing action of progressive social movements;

(2.3) diverse artistic counterpublics (literary, musical, film festivals, art exhibitions, theater, etc.), educational counterpublics (teaching staff or student), scientific counterpublics, and other thematic counterpublics; and finally,

(2.4) so-called “non-subaltern” counterpublics (religious, conservative, climate skeptics, around masculinity and/or whiteness, and finally, openly far-right groups).

Submission deadline: March 1, 2022

Editors: Jonas Medeiros (CEBRAP), Rúrion Melo (USP/CEBRAP) e Fabiola Fanti (CEBRAP). 

For further information check our guidelines for authors , formatting/style,quotations, and references.