“We were the first to arrive in Kiev”: Renegotiating Czechia’s position vis-à-vis Germany in the context of the East-West divide
| Autoři | |
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| Rok publikování | 2024 |
| Druh | Další prezentace na konferencích |
| Citace | |
| Popis | This study responds to the need to better understand the processes that shape states’ behaviour in asymmetric relations. It advances a novel theoretical perspective on the social construction of political asymmetry in bilateral relations by highlighting its contingency with regard to the meaning making of social actors and discursively produced symbolic boundaries. Taking the political asymmetry of Czech-German relations as a case study, we explore how Czech political representatives and analysts attempt to redefine political asymmetry by reclaiming agency in European politics in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Our analysis builds on the public statements of Czech political representatives and analysts concerning Czech and German responses to the Russian invasion of Ukraine between February 2022 and March 2023. We uncover three symbolic boundaries based on the following dichotomies: culprit versus victim, reserve versus engagement, and self-interest versus solidarity. We argue that the patterns of boundary work not only speak to the attempts by Czech political representatives and analysts to redefine political asymmetry of Czech-German relations but also comprise a part of the broader renegotiation of Czechia’s position within the East-West divide. |
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