On a Contested Concept
The advent of Arab satellite televisions in the mediascape of the southern and eastern shores of the Mediterranean raises many questions about the nature of the public sphere that has resulted. Although the genealogy of this sphere can be traced in older media, such as the Egyptian radio and its programme « Voice of the Arabs », it is different in nature (how can non-national televisions produce a common ground with already established various national groups ?), and in its effects which at once « loose » and yet persistent. This article discusses the concept of « Arab public sphere » by addressing its conditions of possibility and by relating it to the discussions on the liberal democratic public sphere and on alternative modernities. Does satellite television create the Arab public sphere, as some works seem to suggest ? If so, what are the premises ? It is difficult to pretend to a transnational dimension of the public sphere without referring to « the social substratum » that identifies the national public spheres. We will show this link by drawing on field research conducted in the Maghreb. By doing so, we hope to point out to the consequences of the virtual public space, which is at the same time problematic in its implementation and rich in possibilities.