»Symbolinen» politiikassa

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Abstract

The definition of a symbol is intimately connected with the conept of a sign. However, not all signs are symbols; a symbol is more than a mere semiotic sign. Rather, we should say that a symbol is a social and ideological sign. In the case of a semantic sign, the question is of the relationship between signs, and in the case of a symbolic sign, of its value and significance for the actor. In a symbol relationship, the represented part often alludes to an idea which transcends our routine experience of everyday life. This transcendence does not, of course, signal a departure from everyday life, but rather describes some aspects of it in an exceptional way. This means that with the aid of symbols and through symbolization, the members of a society can experience society, country, state, politics, political leaders etc. as more than mere historical accidents and, in this experience, participate in a whole which transcends their particular existence.