Activism in the public sphere: exploring the discourse of political participation

Abstract

Drawing upon fieldwork conducted with Amnesty International, the Labour Party, Tenants' Association and the Exodus collective, this work examines the nature of political activism. The author combines Habermasian theory and empirical fieldwork to critically analyze the nature of the political public sphere. While adopting a Habermasian approach, Clark recognizes the problems and limitations associated with notions of civil society and communicative action. An empirically formed critical stance is maintained throughout the work. Three main themes are drawn from this research: an analysis of structures of political participation; presentation of a typology of political "activism"; and analysis of the public process of participation.