Abstract
The author of this article analyses local referendums in the Czech Republic from the perspective of Jeffrey C. Alexander's cultural sociology.
Local referendums are usually seen as part of decision-making processes within the political sphere and investigated using the tools of political sociology. The concept of Alexander's relatively autonomous civil sphere and his theoretical project of cultural sociology offer an explanatory framework relating this type of decision-making practice with the symbolic code of civil society.
The cultural structure of civil society is manifested in two levels of discourse - in negotiations on specific issues within local referendum campaigns and in public debate about the legitimacy of referendums as instruments of direct democracy. The author briefly summarizes key findings on past local referendums and shows the relevance of cultural sociology at both of levels of discourse.
The author uses Alexander's original codes based on his analysis of discourse in American civil society, however, she highlights some specificities of symbolic binary codes that can be found exclusively in the Czech public sphere.