La Importancia de la Teoría del Discurso de Ernesto Laclau y un Esbozo de su Potencial Relación con los Estudios de la Comunicación: Una Mirada Teórica

This paper is a theoretical essay that seeks to contribute to the critical application of poststructuralist political discourse theory in the field of media studies and communication as a constructor of signifiers. The first theoretical challenge we face is the definition of discourse. In academia, discourse has been addressed by different disciplines of the humanities and social sciences that seek to analyze the social construction of meaning. Our intention is not to recount the extensive literature that has been generated on the subject from different theoretical schools, but rather to focus on the arguments of the post-structuralist current supported by Ernesto Laclau. His theory proposes to explain political manifestations as articulatory practices that make collective identities possible. Laclaunian discourse theory points out the antagonistic character of the historical-cultural processes that are configured in the social field; from this perspective, discourses are constituted as antagonistic articulations. Finally, an approach will be made to the importance of the media in contemporary societies and how the discourse theory explained in this work can dialogue with the proposal of mediality. We will prioritize the handling of key concepts such as antagonism, discourse, media and imaginaries, with the aim of conceptually articulating Laclau's political theory of discourse and communication.