DISCOURSE IN A CONTEXT OF POLITICAL POWER RELATIONS

The object of this research is modern political power relations. The discourse is studied in the traditions of postmodernism, including as a ‘picture of the world’, cognitive model, worldview and the limits of what is possible in the thinking and behaviour of individuals. According to the discourse theories, all objects of reality are discursive, that is, any phenomenon is inscribed in a context that gives it full meaning. All objects of the surrounding world can acquire different meanings (or identities) depending on the specific circumstances in which they are immersed. Discourse is a way of ordering reality, a mechanism for determining the values of people. The subject of power in this context is understood as a collective or individual actor who has special access to the discourse and can control it. According to Foucault’s theory, discourse can be identified with power. This research finds that discourse is the most efficient power resource because it touches every part of a person’s existence. The paper explains the problem from both sides: as the development of political discourse theories on the one hand and as the innovative research of modern power relations in a context of discursive technologies on the other hand. The research is based on the works of M. Foucault, T. Van Dijk, L. Althusser, A. Gramsci, E. Laclau and Sh. Mouff, all of whom measured discourse in a variety of ways. Thus, in our research, we used such theoretical methods for analysis, classification and comparison. The analysis of discourse undertaken here has extended our knowledge of political power relations. The findings in this study provide a new understanding of discourse as a cognition that actualises many questions for further investigations. The findings may be of interest for both scholars and students who study political power in general or discourse as a picture of the world in particular.