Public–Private (Sphere)

Public–private (sphere) is a complementary pair of concepts intended to explore a dichotomy of one space (the public) seen as open to a certain group, and another group/individual considered closed off to some or all in the former category. The latter is seen as closer to the self, while the former is seen as existing further from the self. The notion of public sphere is generally associated with negotiations between bourgeois classes and the state, though more recent linguistic anthropological conceptualizations of the term explore the notions of public and private on multiple, contextualized scales ranging from intimate interactions and spaces to nation‐state and global contexts.