Newspapers, the early modern public sphere and the 1704-5 Worcester affair

Bowie, K. (2015) Newspapers, the early modern public sphere and the 1704-5 Worcester affair. In: Benchimol, A., Brown, R. and Shuttleton, D. (eds.) Before Blackwood's: Scottish Journalism in the Age of Enlightenment. Series: The enlightenment world (29). Pickering & Chatto: London, pp. 9-20. ISBN 9781848935501

Abstract

This paper shows how the proliferation of Scottish newspapers and pamphlets in 1704-5 contributed to an international crisis in Anglo-Scottish relations over the Worcester piracy case and influenced the chain of events leading to the Union of 1707. It considers how far a Habermasian concept of the modern public sphere can be applied to this case. It finds that while newspapers helped to shape public opinion and events in what might be termed a public sphere, there is not a strong fit with the Habermasian model and the case is better understood in terms of an early modern public sphere.

• Item Type: Book Sections
• Keywords: Public sphere Union of 1707 Scottish history Newspapers Piracy
• Status: Published
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Bowie, Professor Karin
• Authors: Bowie, K.
• Subjects: D History General and Old World > DA Great Britain
• College/School: College of Arts & Humanities > School of Humanities > History
• Publisher: Pickering & Chatto
• ISBN: 9781848935501
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2015 Pickering & Chatto
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced with the permission of the publisher