Boundary politics in the public sphere: Openness, secrecy, and leak

The issue of openness/secrecy has nor received adequate attention in attent ion discussion on the public sphere. Drawing on ideas in critical theory, p olitical sociology, and cultural sociology. this article explores the cultu ral and political dynamics involved in the public sphere in modem society v is-a-vis is the practice of open/secret politics by the state. It argues th at the media, due to their publicist quality are situated at the interface between publicity and secrecy which thereby allows for struggles over the b oundary of state openness/secrecy in the public sphere. A theory of boundar y, politics is introduced that is contextualized In the relationship among state forms, the means of making power visible/invisible (media strategies) , and symbolic as well as discursive practices in the public sphere. In exp laining the dynamics of boundary politics over openness/secrecy three ideal -types of boundary creation are conceptualized: open politics, secrecy and leak. The theory is illustrated with a case study of the Patten controversy in Hong Kong.