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In:Let's talk politics: New essays on deliberative rhetoric
Edited by Hilde Van Belle, Kris Rutten, Paul Gillaerts, Dorien Van De Mieroop and Baldwin Van Gorp
[Argumentation in Context 6] 2014
► pp. 131–147

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Entropa

Rhetoric of parody and provocation

Published online: 30 April 2014
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https://doi.org/10.1075/aic.6.08ber
Entropa, the controversial installation for the 2009 Czech EU-presidency, may be seen as a hoax and a provocation, but how are we to evaluate its potential for creating public debate in and about the EU? And what may this case indicate about the deliberative potential of hoaxes and similar provocative tools more generally? In exploring these issues we argue that Entropa performs ambiguous functions. It is parody and protest, official utterance and oppositional comment, support for and critique of the EU. This ambiguity creates fruitful, but also wavering discussion. Černý’s own explanation of Entropa points to what is at stake: “We wanted to find out if Europe is able to laugh at itself.” The results of this experiment remain unclear.
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