| Title: | Weaponizing culture : the role of illiberal cultural policy in Slovenia’s democratic backsliding |
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| Authors: | ID Čufar, Kristina (Author)
ID Hawlina, Hana (Author) |
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| Files: |  URL - Source URL, visit https://www.cogitatiopress.com/politicsandgovernance/article/view/9547/4415
 PDF - Presentation file, download (697,46 KB)
MD5: AEB518D5B9CA0C02A01001839ABEEA21
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| Language: | English |
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| Typology: | 1.01 - Original Scientific Article |
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| Organization: |  IK - Institute of Criminology at Ljubljana Faculty of Law
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| Abstract: | The weaponization of cultural policy is one of the crucial, yet underexplored strategies of illiberal political
actors. This article investigates the multifaceted illiberal cultural policy measures employed to polarize
society, influence the interpretation of history, consolidate so‐called traditional values and ethnonationalism,
and normalize political corruption and increasingly authoritarian political practices. The analysis and
typology of illiberal cultural policy measures are based on the case study of a period of extreme
illiberalization in Slovenia between 2020 and 2022, which was characterized by overt and frequent political
interventions in the artistic and cultural sphere. Rather than treating them as isolated incidents, the article
traces their cumulative desired and actual effects, as well as the resistance they provoked. Based on the
analysis of the Slovenian case, we propose a typology of illiberal cultural policy measures that is applicable
to other contexts experiencing democratic backsliding. Illiberal political actors recognize the significance of
art and culture as either the means of reinforcing illiberal ideology and political aims or the site of
democratic resistance. By targeting the cultural sphere, illiberal political actors pursue the double goal of
amplifying expedient narratives and silencing dissent. Increasing political control over cultural production
thus curtails the space for democratic deliberation and permanently reshapes the socio‐political landscape.
Considering illiberal cultural policy as a pivotal strategy for the indelible transformation of political ideology
and practice reveals an important dimension of democratic backsliding and the success of illiberal politics in
Europe and beyond. |
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| Keywords: | pandemija, Covid-19, nazadovanje demokracije, iliberalna demokracija, politika spomina, kulturna politika, Slovenija |
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| Publication status: | Published |
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| Publication version: | Version of Record |
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| Submitted for review: | 24.10.2024 |
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| Article acceptance date: | 20.03.2025 |
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| Publication date: | 05.06.2025 |
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| Year of publishing: | 2025 |
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| Number of pages: | 27 str. |
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| Numbering: | Vol. |
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| PID: | 20.500.12556/DiRROS-29487  |
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| UDC: | 321.7(497.4) |
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| ISSN on article: | 2183-2463 |
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| DOI: | 10.17645/pag.i376 |
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| COBISS.SI-ID: | 238523395 |
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| Note: | Nasl. z nasl. zaslona;
Opis vira z dne 6. 6. 2025;
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| Publication date in DiRROS: | 20.05.2026 |
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| Views: | 50 |
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| Downloads: | 27 |
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