Representation of ‘Europe’ in the Mediatized Discourse of Ukrainian Political Elites: thesis
eKMAIR
Переглянути архів Інформація| Поле | Співвідношення | |
| Title |
Representation of ‘Europe’ in the Mediatized Discourse of Ukrainian Political Elites: thesis
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| Creator |
Orlova, Dariya
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| Description |
This thesis attempts to explore discursive construction of ‘Europe’ in the mediatized discourse of Ukrainian political elites. The study rests on the assumption that Europe has long been a significant geographical, socio-political and cultural reference point for Ukrainian society. As such, it has turned into a crucial signifier in Ukrainian public discourse. Accordingly, the study aims at analyzing representation of ‘Europe’ as a signifier in the discourse of Ukrainian political elites. In particular, the study analyzes what identities of Europe, perceptions of Europe and relations to Europe are being constructed by Ukrainian politicians in their mediatized discourse. The thesis examines one particular instance of mediatized discourse, that is, the case of a popular political television talk show, hosted by Savik Shuster, which has been broadcasted on four Ukrainian TV channels under different titles since September 2005. The study covers a post-Orange period in Ukraine, as the Orange Revolution brought reinvigoration of ‘European choice’ notion into Ukrainian public discourse. The time frame of analysis, 2005- 2010, embraces the four years of the ‘Orange’ leadership in power and the first year of the presidency of Viktor Yanukovych. Thus, the study aims at exploring key patterns of discursive construction of ‘Europe’, as well as possible discursive shifts with regard to ‘Europe’ in the post-Orange Ukraine. The research is largely guided by a theoretical and methodological framework of the critical discourse analysis (CDA) approach. By employing the CDA framework, the study investigates both, the content of the analyzed discourse, and conventions shaping discourse within a broader socio-political context. Analysis of the mediatized discourse of Ukrainian political elites has established that Europe is a much-contested signifier in the Ukrainian political discourse, which is evidenced by abundant references to ‘Europe’ within multiple contexts, on the one hand, and competitive representations of ‘Europe’, on the other. The study has identified a broad range of references to ‘Europe’ entailing different modes and dimensions of discursive representations. In particular, ‘Europe’ is most commonly referred to within such frames: ‘Europe as a model and a source of norm(s), ‘Europe as an advanced civilization’ and ‘Europe as a geopolitical pole’. The geopolitical framework of references to ‘Europe’ particularly suggests competing representations of ‘Europe’, ranging from a ‘destination point’ to a ‘rejector of Ukraine’. Apart from competitive representations of Europe, the analyzed discourse with regard to ‘Europe’ is characterized by a great degree of ambiguity, which illustrates ambivalent attitudes and foreign policy orientations of Ukrainian public undergoing complex process of national identity construction. At the same time, analysis suggests that Ukrainian political elites utilize the discussed ambiguity to convey their representations of Europe as commonsensical. The study has demonstrated that the analyzed discursive setting of the talk show has also contributed to the ambiguity of representations of ‘Europe’ constructed by Ukrainian political elites as the latter are largely unconstrained in their interaction in the talk show and widely resort to strategic formulations and rhetorical references to ‘Europe’, which largely entail ambiguous connotations. |
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| Date |
2013-05-31T10:10:34Z
2013-05-31T10:10:34Z 2013-05-31T10:10:34Z |
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| Type |
Thesis
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| Identifier |
http://ekmair.ukma.edu.ua/handle/123456789/2344
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| Language |
ua
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| Relation |
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
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