Work

On the Impossibility of Discursive-material closures: A Case of Banned TV channels in Ukraine

Year: 2022

Type: article

Abstract: Drawing on the ideas of Laclau and Mouffe (1985) and Carpentier (2017), this paper shows how, on the one hand, discursive-material assemblages within a network environment prevent the possibility of hermetic discursive closures, while, on the other hand, they may weaken discourses, preventing them from serving as a mobilizing force for social change. To illustrate this, the paper discusses the case of Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, who banned oppositional television channels in a bid to shut down oppositional discourse by both discursive (synecdochic reduction of oppositional arguments) and material means (the physical closure of the studios). Analysis presented in the paper draws on the discourse theory of Ernesto Laclau and Chantal Mouffe and Nico Carpentier’s Discursive-Material Knot.

Source: Social Sciences & Humanities Open

DOI: 10.1016/j.ssaho.2022.100329

Author: Olga Baysha

Institution: National Research University Higher School of Economics

Language: English

Topic: Cultural and political discourse analysis

Subfield: Linguistics and Language

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Peace, justice, and strong institutions

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $500