About the Anti-Authoritarian Database

It is perhaps a truism to say that we live in troubling times. These have been challenging days for academics, teachers, and scholars, and especially for those who are precariously situated. There is nothing that I can say to make it better, but to encourage us all to use this moment to find purpose and meaning. I believe that the communication field’s pedagogical and scholarly commitments are crucial for illuminating authoritarian and fascist politics that shape our current landscape. I believe that what we do as teachers and as scholars matters deeply and profoundly. I say these words not only as a communication scholar and a member of the NCA, but as a survivor of an authoritarian regime. As a refugee from the Soviet Union’s Ukraine, I know firsthand the damage that authoritarianism causes, the hopelessness that it seeks to inspire.  I also know in my bones that building a community and a solidarity of practice is the only way in which we can address a regime and an ideology that seeks to strip hope. Hopelessness is the point – without hope, we lose our humanity. We have to give each other and our students hope. We have to be brave.

This database was conceived as a resource to enable successful pedagogical, research, creative, and administrative interventions into authoritarianism and fascism.  The work was driven by a deep conviction that we possess an immense power of education, and that we need to put it to good collective use. The page features theoretical, historical, and pedagogical resources on authoritarianism and fascism for members to take to the classrooms and into their writing. I hope that this database can serve as a resource to enable thinking, writing, and teaching about authoritarianism and fascism. It is also my profound hope that this is the beginning of collaborations across different fields, pedagogical praxis, and institutions. 

The database distinguishes between authoritarianism and fascism/white nationalism to emphasize that authoritarianism is a mechanism of power that has historically emerged across the political spectrum and ideologies. The database features communication and interdisciplinary scholarly resources; pedagogical exercises/lesson plans (both K-12 and higher education); film databases, and popular media/press resources. It also treated authoritarianism as a global phenomenon with an emphasis on different regions across the globe. The database can be used for research, course planning, film screenings/festivals, and general conversations. It is also intended to be a living document. Additions and changes are welcome and encouraged through the form on the website. The idea is to grow the resource exponentially in the coming months. The database was assembled through a purely volunteer effort over less than two months, and I am humbled by the labor and trust of those who showed up and worked on creating this resource. 

The shrinking of intellectual pursuits benefits authoritarian regimes; we cannot and should not enable that in our work. The reason why authoritarianism tries to silence intellectuals and teachers is that it recognizes their power to challenge and destabilize totalitarian thought. We must embrace this power and be driven by its mission to change the world. We must teach, we must write, we must embrace public scholarship and our power to contribute to and shape public discourse. Because we do still have that power, let’s not give it up prematurely. 

Dr. Marina Levina
Editor, Communication and Critical/Cultural Studies
Chair, Critical and Cultural Studies Division, NCA