Resumo

LOPEZ GALLEGOS, Alejandro  e  CHIHU AMPARAN, Aquiles. Symbols, language and spectacle in democracy: Murray Edelman's political skepticism. Espiral (Guadalaj.) [online]. 2011, vol.18, n.50, pp.101-139. ISSN 1665-0565.

The aim of this article is to analyze the theory of Murray Edelman's symbolic policy, by means of three of his main categories: the symbolism, the political language and the political spectacle. The symbolic analysis of the policy proposed by Edelman combines a manipulating conception of the symbols, in which they are tools in the hands of the political elites to keep the audiences of the policy passive, with a constituent conception of the political language. Although to a considerable extent inadequate to perceive the complexities of the contemporary political communication, the Edelman's symbolic analysis has a skeptical vein on the democratic policy that is still relevant nowadays.

Palavras-chave : symbols; political language; political communication; Murray Edelman; political spectacle.