Aspects of the Carnivalesque and the Performative in Public Discourse

Abstract

This paper explores aspects of the carnivalesque and the performative in Croatian public discourse, considering them a form of communication, exchange of responses between the authorities and groups of citizens (associations, initiatives, trade unionists and opposition politicians). The language of delegated power and impenetrable imagery, on the one hand, and highly performative responses, on the other, paralyze communication, preoccupy the media with the illusion of conducting public dialogue and condemn such a format as immanently uncommunicative. From a broader perspective, the article notes an increasingly evident asymmetry – the more “carnival” in everyday political theater, the less carnival in the traditional carnival practices.

Ključne riječi: Croatian public discourse, media, the carnivalesque, performativity