This study reconstructs major developments in Habermas' thinking about the public sphere. It marshals the significance of his life's work to illuminate what is at stake in rescuing an embattled modern public sphere.

Pauline Johnson teaches in the Sociology Department at Macquarie University, Sydney. She has published widely on topics in contemporary critical theory and feminist theory.

1. Introduction: The Plight of the Public Sphere 2. The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere 3. The Theory of Communicative Action 4. Discourse Ethics and the Normative Justification Of Tolerance 5. A Discourse Theory of Law and Democracy 6. Globalizing the Public Sphere 7. The Utopian Energies of a Radical Reformist 8. Romantic and Enlightenment Legacies: The Post-Modern Critics 9. Distorted Communications: Habermas and Feminism 10. Conclusion