Activism in the Public Sphere

This text looks at the changing nature of political participation in Western liberal democracies. It covers organized political groups such as Greenpeace and "do-it-yourself" groups like Reclaim the Streets, as well as looking at the participation within state structures, like local government.

Drawing upon fieldwork conducted with Amnesty International, the Labour Party, Tenants' Association and the Exodus collective, this work examines the nature of political activism. The author combines Habermasian theory and empirical fieldwork to critically analyze the nature of the political public sphere. While adopting a Habermasian approach, Clark recognizes the problems and limitations associated with notions of civil society and communicative action. An empirically formed critical stance is maintained throughout the work. Three main themes are drawn from this research: an analysis of structures of political participation; presentation of a typology of political "activism"; and analysis of the public process of participation.

Introduction
investigating political participation in Britain
the public sphere, discourse and political participation
methodology and research design
case studies
structures of political participation
mapping a typology of political participation and activism
analyzing the process of political participation
conclusions.