Critical Discourse Analysis and Power Relations: A Discourseological Perspective

Abstract

Discourse functions as a socially embedded practice through which knowledge, ideology, and power are constructed, reproduced, and contested. Drawing on the theoretical insights of Fairclough (1992, 1995), van Dijk (1997, 2008), and Wodak (2001), this study applies a critical discourse analysis (CDA) framework to examine how language shapes social realities and legitimises competing political positions in the context of conflict. Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine demonstrates that military resistance is inseparable from discursive struggle: global media coverage, political discourse, and digital communication arenas play a crucial role in representing Ukraine as a victim of aggression, a geopolitical actor, or a resilient democratic nation. To illustrate this dynamic, the article analyses representative excerpts from international news media, including Reuters, BBC News, Fox News, and Axios, as well as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s political address to the US Congress. The analysis shows how various narrative strategies influence global solidarity, public opinion, and political decision-making. The findings highlight the importance of discourse analysis (CDA) in uncovering the mechanisms through which ideology, power, and inequality are maintained, as well as in identifying discursive spaces that facilitate resistance and the restoration of sovereignty. For Ukraine, narrative control and representational activity are important aspects of national identity, cultural survival, and democratic resilience. Looking ahead, the article argues that CDA must take into account new communicative realities shaped by digital platforms, artificial intelligence, and hybrid information warfare, while integrating global theoretical approaches with Ukrainian scholarly perspectives. This positions discourse studies as a field capable of considering both universal dynamics and context-specific struggles over meaning.