Constructing the Czech nation

Abstract

Abstract The article’s objective is to analyse the discursive construction of the Czech nation in three cultural magazines, produced by Czech exiles in London during WWII. The theoretical backbone for this analysis is provided by Laclau and Mouffe’s (1985) discourse theory, which in turn supports a discourse-theoretical re-reading of the literature on the nation, first in general and then in relation to the Czech nation. These three theoretical components support an analysis of 650 selected contributions in 36 issues of the three main cultural journals of the Czech London exile: Obzor [Horizon], Kulturní zápisník [Cultural Notebook] and Review. This discourse-theoretical analysis shows the presence, particularity and contingency of a series of internal nodal points (temporal, spatial, linguistic, cultural and popular), in combination with the external nodal point of diversity in relation to outgroups. In the conclusion, the political nature of this construction, which we label the politics of poetry, is emphasized.