The Music of the Spheres

Abstract

The article critiques Jeffery Alexander’s book The Civil Sphere. It argues that Alexander’s approach should be augmented by incorporating insights from journalism studies, particularly indexing and Bourdieu’s analysis of the journalistic field, and by paying closer attention to the play of hegemony in the case studies Alexander provides to exemplify the proper working of the civil sphere. It closes by suggesting that Habermasian approaches may provide more useful norms for media professionals and activists.