The politics of the public sphere in early modern England Public Persons and Popular Spirits

This book uses the notion of the "public sphere" to produce a new view of the history of England in the post-reformation period, tracing its themes from the 1530s to the early 18th century. The contributors bring a diverse range of approaches to bear on the central theme. The book puts the results of some of the most innovative and exciting work in the field before the reader in accessible form, and as a result, each chapter can stand on its own and represents a contribution to its own area of study and sub-period as well as to the overall argument of the book. Politics, culture, and religion all feature prominently in the resulting analysis.

Peter Lake is University Distinguished Professor of History at Vanderbilt University.

Steven Pincus is Bradford Durfee Professor of History at Yale University.

"An important collection of a very high quality that brings together themes in recent political, religious and cultural history around a sustained and intelligent engagement with Habermas." --Professor Michael Braddick, University of Sheffield