FROM IDEOLOGY TO IDEO-GRAPHY: A CORPUS-BASED ANALYSIS OF LOUIS ALTHUSSER’S PHILOSOPHY AND THE SOCIAL MEDIA OF UKRAINIAN WORKERS’ ORGANIZATIONS (NGO «SOTSIALNYI RUKH» AND THE MEDICAL MOVEMENT «#BUD’YAKNINA»)

Abstract

This article examines the concept of ideology through the lens of Louis Althusser’s theory and analysis of social media communications from two Ukrainian workers' organizations: the NGO «Sotsialnyi Rukh» and the medical movement «#BudyakNina». The study focuses on Althusser’s concept of ideological state apparatuses, which explains the mechanisms of ruling-class hegemony through institutions that ensure the reproduction of social relations. The author highlights the limitations of this theory, particularly its excessive totalization and emphasis on the portrayal of the absolute hegemony of bourgeois ideology.

To address these limitations, the article proposes an approach based on Actor-Network Theory (ANT), which incorporates the roles of not only social structures but also specific actors, both human and non-human (technologies, institutions). ANT methodology emphasizes the interactions between actors in creating and transforming networks of connections and solidarity. Rather than predefining the roles and meanings of actors, the author suggests empirically examining their actions, interpretations, and interrelations.

The study employs the corpus analysis of texts published by the «Sotsialnyi Rukh» and «#BudyakNina» organizations on social media. It finds that «#BudyakNina» focuses on legal struggles for the economic rights of medical workers and critiques the government’s irresponsible actions. In contrast, the “«Sotsialnyi Rukh» texts emphasize political rhetoric aimed at exposing the class character of governance and mobilizing for class struggle. The results reveal different levels of class consciousness, ranging from economic struggles to the initial formation of political awareness.

The author introduces the concept of «ideography» as an alternative to traditional analyses of ideology. This approach enables the description and visualization of ideas and practices emerging at the grassroots level, particularly within workers' movements. The article demonstrates how the integration of corpus linguistics and Actor-Network Theory facilitates a more precise and democratic understanding of social change.