1st round of the Czech Presidential Campaign in 2013 in the Perspective of Alexander’s Performative Theory
Abstract
Presented paper tries to apply the performative theory of Jeffrey Alexander to the campaign of Czech presidential election in winter 2013. It argues that the process of preference formation cannot be satisfactory explained on the basis of interests of the voters, media or socioeconomic strata.
On the contrary, the paper based in durkheimian paradigm argues for the importance of collective emotions. The campaign is understood as a sequence of performative acts in which the candidates, understood as collective representations, try to associate themselves with emotions of the voters.
The performance in Alexander’s perspective takes place in the civil sphere formed by the cultural code of the democratic and antidemocratic side. In this perspective the case of Czech presidential campaign will be shown with the focus on the unexpected advancement of Karel Schwarzenberg to the second round of the election.