POST-DEMOCRACY. REMARKS ON APPLICATION POSSIBILITIES AND LIMITS OF THE CONCEPT IN THE CZECH CONTEXT

The concept of post-democracy is often used to describe the state liberal democratic regimes of the so-called West have currently reached. But is it possible to apply the notion broadly to any country? Does labeling a particular country as post-democratic always mean the same thing? Is there not a risk that the incorrect use of this term leads to an erroneous analysis of the state of democracy in the country in question? The text first focuses on the concept of post-democracy and its various definitions in the works of political theorists, while paying crucial attention to Colin Crouch’s and Jacques Rancier´s approaches. In the second part, the text tries to find out which of the concepts is more justified in the Czech context. Emphasis is placed on the criterion of the historical presence/absence of the socio-economic cleavage.