Discursive break of the social field. Lessons of Euromaidan. Baisha O.A.

Based on the theory of discourse, Ernesto Laclau and Shantal Moff, its further development in the works of these scientists and in the development of Niko Carpentier on social antagonisms, the author considers the Ukrainian Euromaidan as a discursive formation that defines social meanings. The discursive analysis shown in the book shows how important it is to recognize and comprehend the antagonism of the progressive social imagination, formulated in the framework of Manichaean dualism: “progressive we” and “backward they”.

Presenting complex social problems as simple dichotomies, the “progressive” discourses of Euromaidan and other social movements for democracy and social justice actually destroy democracy, destroying the general symbolic space for communication. Conditions are created under which two instead of one society appear, and the confrontation between them becomes fierce, and the established border becomes insurmountable. And this confrontation can lead not only to the symbolic, but also to the physical destruction of each other - these are the lessons of the Ukrainian crisis. The book is addressed to politicians and public figures, political scientists and sociologists, as well as a wide range of readers.