Paper short abstract:

The presentation will be focused on the discourse analysis of contemporary media narratives that present Polish relations with Europe through the figure of love. I will treat the figure of love as a symbolic means of confronting and constructing Europe as a meaningful Other in the Polish press.

Paper long abstract:

Referring to structural anthropology one can speak about the "morphology" or else "internal structure" of the media narratives (Propp, Greimas, Levi-Strauss, Leach). Media narratives about Europe can be treated as stories about the contemporary events, whose deep layers of meaning tell about the struggle between good and evil. Partly being the means of symbolic politics, the "European narratives" in Polish media have mythical orientation as well (Rothenbuhler, Carey; cf. Barthes). In the broadest sense they aim at the search for meaning and order in the transforming social reality and in the state of cultural liminality.

In my presentation I would like to draw particular attention to one figure of such mythical narration that is the figure of love (and hate) of Europe. Polish press news and opinion articles will be considered as well as other media forms such as talk show "Europe can be loved". Luisa Passerini (2004) has suggested accounting for love in history and mythology of relations between Europe and its Others by means of historical analysis. My intention is to provide the discourse analysis of media narratives and media forms that present the Polish relations with Europe through the figure of love (and hate). I will treat love (and hate) figure as the symbolic means of confronting/constructing Europe as a meaningful Other. The role of the dichotomies - such as male and female, domination and subordination, rationality and irrationality - in the discursive and symbolic making of Europe will be considered.