Abstract
In his Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere (1991) Jürgen Habermas emphasizes rational-critical discussion and writings while negating the visual form of communication. He associates such discourse with the rise of mass media and the end of the public sphere. This paper presents a case study of the 2008-2009 Bible Across America (BAA) project, which drew over 37,000 people together from around the nation to partake in visually-imbued compilation of an otherwise common text-the Holy Bible. While Habermas lamented this kind visual adornment as degrading to rational-critical thought, this case suggests the power of the visual to raise publics.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1-13 |
| Number of pages | 13 |
| Journal | American Communication Journal |
| Volume | 15 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| State | Published - Jun 2013 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Bible
- Habermas
- Public sphere
- Visual communication
- Visuals