Against the devil’s metal: Christian public discursive strategies against metal concerts and festivals in Czechia and Slovakia

Abstract

In the context of a process of return of religion to the public sphere, this article deals with Christian discursive strategies in public struggles against selected metal concerts and festivals since 2013 in highly secularized Czechia and in Slovakia with a close connection of religion (especially the Catholic Church) to the state. Membership categorization analysis identified three main categories used in the construction of metal as an enemy: ‘religious struggle’, ‘danger for society/state’ and ‘danger for morality and health of individuals’. Christian opponents of metal use in their discourse sets of rhetorical tactics with both religious (i.e. fight against Satan) and secular pieces (i.e. supposed extremism of some bands) to mobilize Christian community and also to attract politics and the public. In Czechia it was targeted mainly to the Christian minority and local politics, while in Slovakia religious actors were able to mobilize broader networks against metal concerts/festivals, including nation-wide politics.