Article 6: Rethinking the Black Public Sphere

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Article 6 Rethinking the Black Public Sphere

• What is public sphere theory?
• A sphere is a location of centered
  communication
• The sphere is made up of group cultural
  identities
• Like ethnicity, gender, or sexual preference

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The counterpublic

• It is described as being made up of mostly
  marginalized groups
• Another word used to describe these marginalized
  groups is the subaltern
• Subalterns are created automatically when the
  dominant public sphere prevents a cultural
  identity from participating at an equal level

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Another characteristic of the counterpublic

• It must be engaged in activist communication
• If its not, its not counter
• Example Marilyn Manson
• Is he part of a marginalized group? Is he
  oppressed?
• Then is what he says in his music a resistance to
  being marginalized?
• Or is he just out to make a buck?

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Other characteristics

• 1) A counterpublic can go underground this is to
  avoid sanctions it also creates a highly
  creative environment
• Is Marilyn Manson underground?
• 2) Or it can emerge to engage in limited debate
  or expression to see what happens
• Does this appear to be what Marilyn Manson is
  doing?
• 3) Or it can aggressively seek separation from
  other publics and participate in wider discourses
• Does this sound like Marilyn Manson?

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What has this got to do with intercultural
communication?

• We live in multiple cultural identities
• Some of these identities may belong to a minority
  or marginalized group
• For example you are white (not marginalized) you
  are Christian (not marginalized) you are female
  (sometimes marginalized) you are handicapped (
  you ARE marginalized)
• If you are handicapped (lets say you are a
  quadriplegic) this may be the sphere of
  communication you live in most of the time
• You create relationships of meaning when around
  others like yourself a subaltern
• You get tired of being marginalized, so you and
  your female peers create a counterpublic to
  resist being dominated
• You and your female peers create a sphere that is
  hidden
• a sphere that is sometimes made public to test
  your ideas
• a sphere that emerges as a satellite, that is
  more public

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Interracial communication

• In our present culture, whites live in a separate
  public sphere from blacks
• Whites and blacks carry with them a history
• This history is inescapable
• Are blacks in our culture repressed or held back?
  Not taken seriously?
• Blacks fight repression by creating counterpublic
  spheres

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Solving one issue just exposes another obstacle

• In the sixties, blacks united to fight inequality
  and for civil rights
• Once this had been accomplished, it exposed the
  cleavages between blacks
• Like differences in education, economic status,
  and gender (did black women automatically become
  equal not only to their white counterparts, but
  also with their black male counterparts?)

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Communication can have that effect

• Real meaningful communication exposes the
  multiple layers of inequality
• It identifies those who are dominant
• We must decide when it is the most appropriate
  time to engage
• Example you live with a rich roommate
• He/she has all the latest material things (like
  electronic stuff) that you dont have
• You are allowed to use those things
• But your roommate dominates you
• You resist by engaging in meaningful
  intercultural communication (remember, you are
  from a different set of identities, norms and
  rules than your roommate)
• Your roommate must decide how to respond
• What can happen? What inequalities other than the
  obvious one can be exposed?

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A separate world within a world

• A satellite public sphere is separate from other
  public spheres
• It is intentionally created to not engage with
  other spheres
• Example the Nation of Islam
• Or the KKK
• Their goal is to not integrate into the dominant
  culture (into the proverbial melting pot)
• Occasionally they engage in public discourse
  (communication) but only when their interests are
  threatened or challenged

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Is this the answer?

• Should we avoid becoming integrated into a
  dominant culture?
• Or
• Should we give up our own forms of communication
  in order to conform?
• Is it a waste of time to believe intercultural
  and interracial communication can solve any of
  the Big Problems we face today?
• What about the conflict between Israel and the
  Arab world?
• The roots of this conflict are based on the
  creation of Israel after WW2
• Can Israel afford to create its own satellite
  sphere, a separate world?
• Can the Palestinians afford to do the same?