Contestation in Civil Society looks at the dynamic relationship between noise, listening and civil action as the key to understanding how societies communicatively make decisions about their internal and external boundaries.

By focusing on the three components of noise, listening and civil action, the book moves attention away from an exclusive focus on what is being communicated – the communicator, the statement, the speech and so on. It argues that what is being communicated – the noise – does not lead in and of itself to civil action but rather that the audience – the listeners – plays a crucial role in determining what the noise means, whether it is judged legitimate or not and whether any civil action should be taken.

Exploring how the relationship between noise, listening and civil action plays out within the context of contestation will interest academics and scholars of political studies, political philosophy, communication, sociology, media and cultural studies.