critical cultural discourse

critical cultural discourse

unrestricted ‘open’ discussion of social issues, which offers the potential for the undermining of ideological justifications of society, the establishment of true accounts of social processes, and hence also the potentiality for ‘human emancipation’. Contrary to theories of MASS SOCIETY, the increasing importance of educated mass ‘publics’ in modern industrial societies is regarded by some theorists (e.g. GOULDNER, HABERMAS) as promoting the conditions for such critical discourse, although no guarantees exist that these will be fully realized.