ABSTRACT
Discourse theory builds on two strands: the theoretical work of Foucault on the one hand, and Laclau and Mouffe on the other. This chapter focuses on the latter strand which found its main manifestation in the 1985 book Hegemony and Socialist Strategy (HSS). It provides an overview of Laclau and Mouffe's discourse theory, which is particular because of its strong emphasis on discursive struggle and on contingency. The chapter presents a brief case study on the broadcasts and audience reception of a Cypriot web radio community station, named MYCYradio, which is based in Nicosia, the capital of Cyprus. It analyses a case study using discourse-theoretical analysis. It deals with the broadcasts of three radio shows, and their audience reception, of the Cypriot community web radio station MYCYradio, which functions within a conflict-transformative and participatory-democratic remit. Contingency plays an equally important role at the second level. In other words, contingency is not only intra-discursive, but also generated through inter-discursive political struggles.
