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The full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine and successful resistance of Ukrainians to it not only increased demand for the expert knowledge on the nation and the region at large but also drew huge public attention to the war leadership of President Zelensky. His resonant public speeches on various international platforms contributed to the unified support to the Ukrainian cause on the side of the global North, which in turn triggered a number of publications on the matter – from anthologies of Zelensky’s speeches to variants of his biography, journalist investigations, and political analysis.
Ever since the landslide elections in 2019, when Zelensky received unprecedented for the Ukrainian context 73% of votes in the presidential runoff and later on secured his positions through the – again, unprecedented – parliamentary majority for his party, this political project has attracted significant attention of theorists and scholars working on the region. The political technology of winning the elections with vague promise and no clear political program caused lots of skepticism domestically to dub Zelensky “president without qualities” (Eurozine discussion) or the ‘Waldo bear’ candidate from the Black Mirror TV series (Oksana Zabuzhko). His rhetorical strategies were analyzed internationally as either part of the rising trend of populism (Andrew Wilson) or of TV celebrities / comedians going into politics (William Davies). Subsequent Trump-related scandal increased both Zelensky’s international visibility and the overall skepticism towards his presidency. However, the full-blown invasion in 2022 and Zelensky’s efficient wartime leadership shifted the perspective. An avalanche of hagiographic books and signs of symbolic recognition – like the Time’s 2022 Person of the Year award – turned Zelensky into an acclaimed politician with the global fame. The course structure consists of three clusters. We begin with the historic overview of post-Soviet transformations of the political scene in Ukraine, and how the Zelensky project fits into the logic of "virtual democracy" (Andrew Wilson) and performative politics (Jeffrey Alexander). Practical sessions will be built around TV series "The Servant of the People" and Zelensky's real-life interventions. The second cluster concerns the growing body of literature on how the rise of social media and the decline of institutionalized party politics transforms the political field across the world. The concluding part will be tapping into structurally similar cases of "digital populists" across the globe - from Javier Milei in Argentina to Sahra Wagenknecht in Germany. Poslední úprava: Korablyova Valeriya, Ph.D. (30.01.2025)
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The course is aimed at exposing the specificity of Zelensky’s political project and the causes of its success, both in the domestic and in the international context. To that end, it would be put in a broader context of tectonic changes in public politics related to the rise of social media and demise of traditional party structures as well as political transformations in post-1991 Ukraine. Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:
Poslední úprava: Korablyova Valeriya, Ph.D. (30.01.2025)
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Course schedule
Poslední úprava: Korablyova Valeriya, Ph.D. (30.01.2025)
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According to the Dean's provision, the teacher evaluates the student's performance in the percentages assigned to grades A to F (https://fsv.cuni.cz/opatreni-dekanky-c-20/2019):
Poslední úprava: Lochmanová Sára, Mgr. (05.02.2024)
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Conceptual sources: Alexander, Jeffrey C. (2011). Performance and Power. Polity Press. Bickerton, Christopher J.; & Invernizzi Acetti, Carlo (2021). Technopopulism. The New Logic of Democratic Politics. Oxford University Press. Fitzgerald, Sandy (2015). Spectators in the Field of Politics. Palgrave Macmillan. Gerbaudo, Paolo (2019). The Digital Party. Political Organization and Online Democracy, Pluto Press. Green, Jeffrey Edward (2010). The Eyes of the People. Democracy in an Age of Spectatorship. Oxford University Press. Korablyova, Valeria (2021). Re-conceptualizing post-Soviet elections: between the theatre state and ocular democracy. In: Langenohl, Andreas; Schmäing, Sophie (eds.). Topos, # 2: Voting over contested issues – voting as a contested issue, 124-147. Levitsky, Steven; & Way, Lucan A. (2010). Competitive Authoritarianism: Hybrid Regimes after the Cold War. New York: Cambridge University Press. Manin, Bernard (1997). The Principles of Representative Government. Cambridge University Press. Onuch, Olga, & Hale, Henry E. (2023) The Zelensky Effect, Oxford University Press. Pisano, Jessica (2022). Staging Democracy: Political Performance in Ukraine, Russia, and Beyond. Cornell University Press. Ranciere, Jacque (2011). The Emancipated Spectator. London: Verso. Rosanvallon, Pierre (2008). Counter-Democracy. Politics in an Age of Distrust. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Runciman, David (2018). Technological takeover! In: Runciman, David. How Democracy Ends. Profile Books Ltd, Ch. 3: 202-269. Urbinati, Nadia (2014). Democracy Disfigured. Opinion, Truth, and the People. Cambridge University Press. Urbinati, Nadia (2019). Me the People: How Populism Transforms Democracy, Harvard University Press. Wilson, Andrew (2005). Virtual Politics: Faking Democracy in the Post-Soviet World. New Haven & London, Yale University Press
Primary sources: TV series “Servant of the People” (2015-2019) Zelensky’s addresses and speeches: president.gov.ua (2019-2025) Zelensky's accounts on social media (Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube) Poslední úprava: Korablyova Valeriya, Ph.D. (30.01.2025)
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The course combines theoretical and practical sessions. Theoretical classes start with the instructor’s lecture followed by joint discussion of assigned literature. For practical classes, students must watch ascribed videos and prepare to analyze them. Several position papers are to be written during the semester. The qualification task is the semester paper prepared under the instructor’s supervision. Poslední úprava: Korablyova Valeriya, Ph.D. (30.01.2025)
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The midtern test will take place in class. Its date will be announced separately. The final paper (between 2-3k words without references) is to be submitted by 25 May 2025.
The grading scale is according to the dean's measure no 20/2019:
Basic interpretation of A-F grading scale:
Poslední úprava: Korablyova Valeriya, Ph.D. (30.01.2025)
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A reasonable level of oral and writing skills in English is an entry requirement, as all the assigned literature and class discussions are in English. Primary sources are dubbed in English as well. Pre-existing knowledge on Ukrainian politics is an advantage, not a necessary prerequisite. Previous experience with media studies and discourse analysis would be a plus. Curiosity and an open mindset would facilitate your work during the semester, while the ability and willingness to engage in meaningful discussions will create a productive space for peer learning. Poslední úprava: Korablyova Valeriya, Ph.D. (30.01.2025)
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