Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online

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Public sphere
(3,626 words)

1. Society

1.1. Structural conditions

The public sphere and society (Society [community]) are closely and reciprocally related. Without the public sphere, there is no society; without society, no public sphere. Since early modern society (Early modern period) was fundamentally segmented, so was the public sphere. This segmentation was the result of linguistic, geographical, class, and gender boundaries (Estates of the realm; Inequality; Gender). These boundaries should not be thought of as “red …

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Schmale, Wolfgang, Zimmermann, Clemens and Mahlerwein, Gunter, “Public sphere”, in: Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online, Editors of the English edition: Graeme Dunphy, Andrew Gow. Original German Edition: Enzyklopädie der Neuzeit. Im Auftrag des Kulturwissenschaftlichen Instituts (Essen) und in Verbindung mit den Fachherausgebern herausgegeben von Friedrich Jaeger. Copyright © J.B. Metzlersche Verlagsbuchhandlung und Carl Ernst Poeschel Verlag GmbH 2005–2012. Consulted online on 28 May 2023 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/2352-0272_emho_COM_024947>
First published online: 2015
First print edition: 20210107



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