Exploring affective polarisation of the (digital) public sphere in Slovenia : the case of Marshal Twito

Mahmutović, Melika (author), Lovec, Marko (author)

The last decade saw the issue of polarisation garnering increased scholarly attention. While political polarisation has been almost unequivocally studied as synonymous with ideological polarisation, scholars have recently addressed polarisation along partisan lines manifesting through strong in-group favouritism and out-group unfavouritism, labelled as affective polarisation. This paper investigates patterns of affective polarisation in the Slovenian (digital) public sphere, through analysis of discourse of former Slovenian PM Janez Janša on Twitter. The affective-discursive analysis of Janša’s Twitter resulted in the identification and exploration of four affective-discursive practices: Dangerous Outsider, Pride and Patriotism, Immoral and Incompetent Women and Defection. We find that through interplay of these practices and by employing strategies of discursive closure, Janša successfully fuels polarisation among partisans by solidifying divisions along the in-group-out-group axis. The paper contributes to affective polarisation literature by demonstrating how political actors condition competitive environments around different social identities thereby minimising opportunities for meaningful deliberation and debate beyond the differences.

• Language: English
• Keywords: affective polarisation, public sphere, affective-discursive practices, discursive closure, Slovenia
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FDV - Faculty of Social Sciences
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2024
• Number of pages: Str. 419–439
• Numbering: Vol. 31, no. 3
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-163174
• UDC: 323(497.4):366.636
• ISSN on article: 1318-3222
• DOI: 10.1080/13183222.2024.2383903
• COBISS.SI-ID: 210019843
• Publication date in RUL: 03.10.2024

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Javnost = The public
• Shortened title: Javnost
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis, Evropski inštitut za komuniciranje in kulturo
• ISSN: 1318-3222
• COBISS.SI-ID: 40119808

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: čustvena polarizacija, javna sfera, afektivnodiskurzivne prakse, diskurzivno zapiranje, Slovenija, politično komuniciranje, javnost, mediji