The essentialist roots of the public sphere: A feminist critique

Abstract

Questions of the origin and scope of the public sphere have been framed in various ways by scholars over the past two decades. This essay explores the essentialist influences on this sphere from a feminist perspective suggesting that an essentialist ideology informs the public/private distinction. The public sphere, this essay argues, is not strictly a result of historical changes or economic influences; it also is dependent on an essentialist view of women and men. The kinds of communication that are privileged as a result of essentialist influences on the public sphere are considered as well.