This book explores the detrimental effects on global peace of populism’s tendency to present complex social issues in simplistic "good versus evil" terms. Analyzing the civilizational discourse of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky with respect to the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine—with his division of the world into "civilized us" versus "barbarian them"—the book argues that such a one-dimensional representation of complex social reality leaves no space for understanding the conflict and has little, if any, potential to bring about peace.
To deconstruct the "civilization versus barbarism" discourse propagated by Zelensky, the book incorporates into its analysis alternative articulations of the crisis by oppositional voices. The author looks at the writing of several popular Ukrainian journalists and bloggers who have been excluded from the field of political representation within Ukraine, where all oppositional media are currently banned. Drawing on the discourse theory of Ernesto Laclau and Chantal Mouffe, the author argues that the incorporation of alternative perspectives, and silenced voices, is vitally important for understanding the complexity of all international conflicts, including the current one between Russia and Ukraine.
This timely and important study will be relevant for all students and scholars of media and communication studies, populist rhetoric, political communication, journalism, area studies, international relations, linguistics, discourse analysis, propaganda, and peace studies.
Author(s): Olga Baysha
Series: Routledge Focus on Communication Studies
Publisher: Routledge
Year: 2023
Language: English
Pages: 129
City: New York
Cover
Endorsements
Half Title
Series
Title
Copyright
Dedication
Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction: Transnational Populism and Global Polarization
When Populism Goes Abroad
Transnational Populism and the Ukraine–Russia War of 2022
Part I Populist Discourse of Civilization
1 From the Euromaidan to the Russia–Ukraine War: 2013–2022
The Euromaidan and Its Excluded “Others”
Donbas Uprising: From Anti-Maidan to Separatism and Terrorism
The Advent of the Comedian: Zelensky’s Populism on the Fringes of the Virtual and the Real
2 Analyzing Populist Discourses: Contingency, Sedimentation, and Antagonism
Discourse Theory of Laclau and Mouffe
Theory of Populism by Laclau
Theory of Antagonistic Discourse by Nico Carpentier
3 Zelensky’s Transnational Populism: “Civilized Us” Versus “Barbaric Them”
Civilized People of All Countries, Unite!
The War for Democracy: Tyranny Must Lose
Uniting the World Around the Truth
Part II Alternative Articulations of the Russia–Ukraine Conflict
4 Ukraine Under External Control
A “Revolution of Dignity” Indistinguishable From a “Coup D’état”
The War in Donbas: A War on Terror or a Civil War?
Establishing an “Anti-Russia” in Ukraine: An Engineered Disaster
Conclusion
5 Authoritarian Populism in the Name of Democracy
The Impossible Unity of Ukraine
Journalists as Enemies of the People
The Repression of Dissent
Conclusion
6 The Deadlock of the Peace Treaty
Ilovaisk and Debaltseve Battles
No Talks With “Terrorists”
Cutting the Gordian Knot of the Minsk Agreements
Conclusion. A Road to Peace: Giving Voice to the Silenced
From Antagonism to Agonism
Index
