Contested Rites – Janša’s Politics of Statehood Celebration in Contemporary Slovenia

Political division, which re-emerged after Slovenian independence and parliamentary democracy in 1991, has strongly influenced Slovenian social life. The article focuses on official and parallel celebrations of statehood day as a political tool in political arena. The author analyses those manipulative and discursive techniques used by opposition leader Janez Janša that were the most evident in the critique of the official celebrations of statehood and the construction of parallel ones. Presented taxonomy of his interventions is based on extensive ethnographic work and offers a summarised review of some basic ideological disputes during the Slovenian post-socialist transition.Political division, which re-emerged after Slovenian independence and parliamentary democracy in 1991, has strongly influenced Slovenian social life. The article focuses on official and parallel celebrations of statehood day as a political tool in political arena. The author analyses those manipulative and discursive techniques used by opposition leader Janez Janša that were the most evident in the critique of the official celebrations of statehood and the construction of parallel ones. Presented taxonomy of his interventions is based on extensive ethnographic work and offers a summarised review of some basic ideological disputes during the Slovenian post-socialist transition