Introduction: Logics of transparency in late modernity

Abstract

This special issue of the European Journal of Social Theory investigates the phenomenon of transparency, including the spectacle that accompanies transparency projects launched by contemporary organizations and institutions, be they public, private or inbetweens.The title 'Logics of transparency in late modernity: paradoxes, mediation and governance' alludes to the historicity of the transparency ideal, its paradoxes, forms of mediation and governing potentials.Within and across the five articles included in this volume we address questions such as the following: What is the historical and epistemological background to contemporary preoccupations with transparency?What is the role of the media and knowledge processes in the production of transparency?What kinds of politics are involved in the concerted focus on transparency?And, more generally, how can we theorize the current manifestations, potentialities and limits of transparency?Our endeavor is largely conceptual and comes with a normative challenge, which is important to address upfront.Many contemporary societal projects, ranging from the democratization of governments and organizations to the promotion and implementation of corporate social responsibility initiatives, generally assume that transparency can effectively steer individual and collective behavior towards desirable objectives.These objectives include holding elected or appointed public officers accountable, and making

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