The Term Crisis in the Political Sphere: An Attempt Towards Conceptualisation Cover Image

Kríza politickej sféry. Pokus o koncept
The Term Crisis in the Political Sphere: An Attempt Towards Conceptualisation

Author(s): Juraj Laššuth
Subject(s): Politics / Political Sciences
Published by: Masarykova univerzita nakladatelství
Keywords: crisis; plurality of spheres; balance of power; autonomy

Summary/Abstract: The term crisis is commonly used in intellectual rhetoric, in scientific articles, by people in everyday contexts, and especially in public speeches by politicians. Since references to crisis (rhetoric of crisis) have a particular resonance in the political sphere, a better understanding of this concept is much needed. The aim of this article is to bring the term crisis into the context of political theory. This will be done via reference to the works of Carl Schmitt, Michael Walzer and Classical Realists such as Hans Morgenthau and Michael Williams. The term crisis will be characterized as part of an illocutionary speech act which signifies “politicization”; this means moving an issue from its “ordinary sphere” to the political sphere. On the basis of this contextualization, several models of crisis in the political sphere will be constructed.

  • Issue Year: XVIII/2011
  • Issue No: 3
  • Page Range: 230-253
  • Page Count: 24
  • Language: Slovak