The Second Republic's National Symbols in Crisis? When Doxa Becomes Discourse (Again)

This contribution to volume 31 of Contemporary Austrian Studies utilizes Bourdieu-ian theory and Michael Billig's distinction between "banal-" and "hot nationalism" to examine recent public discourses in Austria. Among the latter, special attention is paid to how central, symbolic pillars of Austrian self-understandings post-1945 (i.e. social protection and political stability, Austria's landscape, water and the environment) have, since the turn of the millennium, come to be widely perceived to be "under threat". This dynamic is shown to have gathered further pace over recent years and to have led to an increasing politicization of national identities