The Public and the Private: Democratic Citizenship in a Comparative Perspective

by Gurpreet Mahajan (Editor), Helmut Reifeld (Editor)

This volume takes a critical look at the popular representations of the concept of public and private in the context of democracy. Most analyses of state and citizenship in contemporary times invoke the idea of public and private. Though these are amongst the most commonly used terms in social science discourses, there exists considerable ambiguity about what each of these concepts denotes. Most often they are presented as discrete, if not separate, spheres of life and activity locked in an antagonistic relationship. The essays in this volume take a critical look at these diverse representations of public and private, the manner in which they reinforce each other and collectively impact democracy. In the era of globalization, the relationship between public and private is being steadily redefined. The book reflects upon these changes and the implications they have for democratic citizenship.

340 pages, Paperback

First published November 30, 2004