Olga Müllerová

Social representations of the individual: a post-Communist perspective

Social representations of the individual are examined in three post-Communist Central European nations, i.e. the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary, and in three West European nations, i.e. Scotland, England and France. All six nations share a common European history since the Renaissance and Humanism, based on such values as freedom, agency, individual rights and individual responsibility. Many of these values were rejected by the Communist regimes in which people lived for 40 years. Extreme forms of individualism developed in certain West European nations during the same period. In view of these historical events we have asked the following questions: Do people in the post-Communist countries of Central Europe, after 40 years of totalitarian collectivism, still adhere to the values of the common European heritage? What is the meaning of ‘the individual’ today, in Western democracies and in Central European post-Communist nations? Which issues are important for the well-being of the individual and how do they relate to the political and economic circumstances of those individuals? The results show that the values of the common European heritage in Central Europe have not been destroyed and that factors relating to the well-being of the individual differ between the two parts of Europe. These data are discussed in terms of the political and economic situations in Central and Western Europe, the relationship between language and social representations and the structure of social representations.

Who is Martin McGuinness? On Contextualizing Reported Political Talk

London, Sunday 23/10/1994. Our subject, Martin McGuinness, was in London for the first time in 22 years. When he returned to Northern Ireland, he left behind him, in Mondays newspapers, some interesting headlines. These are some of them: “Major backs unity, claims Sinn Fein” (Daily Mail), “Sinn Fein claims unity “assurance”“ (Times), “Sinn Fein deputy in united Ireland storm.” (Daily Mirror), “Row as Sinn Fein Boss Exploits End of Mainland Ban (Daily Express),“Sinn Fein stir “secret deal” row” (Today), “Boast over unity by McGuinness” and “Violence may return if IRA hopes are thwarted says McGuinness” (Daily Telegraph), “Bumpy Ride.” (Guardian), and “McGuinness stirs up a storm” (Phoblacht). So we know McGuinness is a deputy leader of Sinn Fein, but what did he do to raise such a storm? He was interviewed on the BBCtelevision programme “On the Record”. This goes out every Sunday lunch time, hosted by John Humphrys. Humphrys usually interviews a political figure of some importance.His aim, like that of all the TV hosts, is to maximise the ratings of his program; he achieves this by getting his politicians to make, in public, politically significant and if possible controversial claims. He is usually successful what his guests have said is regularly reported in the next day national papers, andother politicians react. In effect, many of his interviews are significant political events, not just entertainment.The programme audience members millions; this includes journalists, politicians, and analysts of discourse.