Social representations of the war in Ukraine in the narrative of various media. Critical analysis of political discourse

• Oksana Babak Volodymyr Vynnychenko Central Ukrainian State University, Kropyvnytskyi, Ukraine. https://orcid.org/0009-0003-9112-9327
• Natalia Chernysh Hryhorii Skovoroda University in Pereiaslav, Pereiaslav, Ukraine. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6626-1858
• Serhii Piddubnyi Kyiv National Economic University named after Vadym Hetman, Kyiv, Ukraine. https://orcid.org/0009-0008-5596-6386
• Svitlana Chernik Volodymyr Vynnychenko Central Ukrainian State University, Kropyvnytskyi, Ukraine. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3290-1797
• Nataliia Yukhymenko Hryhorii Skovoroda University in Pereiaslav, Pereiaslav, Ukraine. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7739-9716

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15080616

Keywords: social representations of war, mass media, war in Ukraine, critical analysis of political discourse, social reality and power

Abstract

The war in Ukraine is not only taking place in the national geography of both countries, but also in the symbolic spaces of international public opinion, a communicational space determined by a diversity of political positions and ideologies that oscillate between support for the Ukrainian cause or, in contrast, support for Russia. In these discursive contexts, the aim of this research was the analysis of the social representations of the war in Ukraine in three media: BBC, CNN, and RT. In theoretical and methodological terms, the social representations approach was used because of its proven versatility in deciphering the meaning of discourses. Simultaneously, the technique of critical analysis of political discourse was used to reveal to scientific understanding the hegemonic and counter-hegemonic relations constructed daily by the actors who participate directly or indirectly in the development of this contest. It is concluded that each media brings its own perspective influenced by specific political and ideological interests, resulting in narratives that may vary drastically from one another. This communicational reality underscores the importance of critically approaching media sources to better understand contemporary conflicts in general.

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