Interdisciplinary academic work on Authoritarianism with a particular focus on political theory, French continental thought, and Africana political thought

Added Sept. 2026

Anastaspopulos, L. Jason, and Jie (Jason) Lian. 2026. “The Limits of Authoritarian AI.” Journal of Democracy 37 (2): 5–17. https://www.journalofdemocracy.org/articles/the-limits-of-authoritarian-ai/

• Abstract: AI is often portrayed as a frictionless accelerator of authoritarian control. In reality, AI systems force rulers into an unavoidable calibration dilemma. Any predictive system requires a decision threshold: lowering it creates backlash through collateral repression (false positives), while raising it creates blind spots for genuine threats (false negatives). This structural volatility produces “threshold whiplash”—cycles of tightening and abrupt loosening—exemplified by China. Far from a silver bullet, AI bureaucratizes uncertainty, compelling autocrats to choose which vulnerability to expose. Prodemocracy actors can exploit these vulnerabilities by demystifying algorithmic power, establishing protective norms, and challenging the “panopticon bluff” through strategic resistance.

 

Bernard-Donals, M. 2025. “How Free Is Academic Freedom? On Divisiveness, Publics, and Rhetorical Violence.” Rhetoric Society Quarterly. doi:10.1080/02773945.2025.2496643.

• Abstract: Academic freedom involves two ideas—the protection of academic expertise and autonomy, and the protection to speak on matters of public concern. This essay explores a recent threat to higher education as represented in recent legislation: the erosion of academic freedom in the name of free speech. This erosion comes in two forms of discursive or rhetorical violence: prospective or actual harm visited on academics in colleges and universities from without, and prospective or actual harm from within by limiting academic freedom to institutional convention. It is more effective to see the cleavage between these two freedoms as a difficult relation, in which academic freedom produces a fissure in speech and thought closely linked to the idea of “divisive concepts” in legislation based on it. Between the two notions of freedom there resides a discursive or rhetorical power to critically call into question accepted notions of scholarly inquiry.

 

Bhattacharya, Sayan. 2025. “The Broken Others of the Nation State: Debility, Capacity and Dissent.” Cultural Studies 39 (6): 850–69. doi:10.1080/09502386.2025.2527044.

• Abstract: Haunting operates across two registers in this paper – one investigated throughout the paper and the other explored as an ethical imperative in lieu of concluding remarks. A totalitarian state leverages identity to present itself as liberal and in so doing, enacts laws that purport to enshrine the rights of certain groups of minoritized populations. These rights, however, can be forged only through the violent crafting of rights’ constitutive outsides. These outsides haunt the telos of progress of the nation state. So then, haunting here is not about the dead but the devalued others whose conditions of debilitation are produced by the violent nation state. This paper reads recent legislations on transgender and disability rights alongside the way the state deals with those dissident trans and disabled bodies who exceed the frames of these rights regimes. The haunting engendered by the violent nation state also produces the possibility of relationalities emerging amongst those debilitated by the state. These relationalities cut across identity and they make a demand of us. When violence constitutes the everyday of minoritized populations, there is often nothing spectacular about it and hence the violated recede from popular discourse. The emerging collective relationalities among debilitated bodies demand that such forgetting be refused by a ceaseless haunting by all that the state attempts to subsume.

Bochsler, Daniel. 2026. “The Two Genotypes of Secession: Explaining Non-Nationalist Independence Claims in Federal-Authoritarian Regimes.” Democratization 33 (4): 775–98. doi:10.1080/13510347.2025.2511764.

• Abstract: In the literature on secession, there is broad agreement on the important role of ethno-nationalist mobilization. However, during the breakup of the formerly communist federations in 1989-1992, ethno-nationalist mobilization only partly explains the secessionist claims that occurred. This study highlights a second, non-nationalist type of secessionist claim in the context of transitions from authoritarian rule. It builds on the classical model of transitions, and extends it to federal-authoritarian states. According to this argument, sub-state government initiatives for regime change can turn into a federal conflict, and result in secessionist claims with no ethno-nationalist motives. Empirically, this article provides a congruence analysis, scrutinizing the timing of the declarations of sovereignty and independence of the 23 constituent republics of Yugoslavia, the Soviet Union and Czechoslovakia, based on a secondary analysis of the literature. While the first republic-level governments to declare independence were dominated by ethno-nationalists, regime conflict played an important role in a second, possibly decisive stage of the dissolution of the three communist federations.

 

Burkhardt, Fabian, and Jan Matti Dollbaum. 2026. “Digital Ballots, Partisan Bias: Digital Authoritarianism and Support for Internet Voting in Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine.” Democratization 33 (1): 40–61. doi:10.1080/13510347.2025.2464149.

• Abstract: The answer to the question of why authoritarian regimes adopt internet voting seems simple: Internet voting is yet another upgrade to the authoritarian menu of electoral manipulation by making independent verification of election results almost impossible. However, voters in authoritarian regimes are well aware of this potential for misusing technology in the service of political power. Given that partisanship often trumps concerns about democratic fairness, we argue that supporters of authoritarian leaders will support the introduction of internet voting even though (and perhaps because) it provides the leader with opportunities for manipulation. At the same time, this should only be the case if it is the leadership that promotes internet voting. If it is an opposition demand, the associations should be reversed. Based on three surveys from Russia and Belarus, including an original online survey conducted in Belarus a year after the 2020 protest movement, and three surveys from Ukraine, a competitive hybrid regime with a recent history of both electoral manipulation and anti-fraud protests, we document consistent evidence for our hypotheses that partisan allegiance is associated with attitudes to internet voting. Our findings call into question the widespread notion among researchers of democracies that voting technologies are politically neutral.

 

Cetin, Faith U., and Burak Demir. 2025. “No Longer the Only Game in Town? Immigration, Authoritarianism and the Future of Democracy in the West.” Government and Opposition 60 (4): 1089–1111. doi:10.1017/gov.2025.6.

• Abstract: The recent rise of authoritarian populist and far-right parties in Western democracies has raised concerns about democratic stability in these countries. While existing research often focuses on electoral outcomes, we argue this approach inadequately captures citizens’ regime preferences due to the complexities of electoral processes and national politics. To address this limitation, we examine the relationship between immigration and regime preferences through a democratization framework using structural equation modelling across 17 established Western democracies between 2008 and 2020. Our findings reveal a positive association between immigrant population rates, individuals’ authoritarian predisposition and anti-immigrant sentiments, with stronger anti-immigrant attitudes correlating with increased support for authoritarian governance models such as dictatorship and army rule. This relationship appears particularly pronounced among individuals with low authoritarian predispositions, underscoring the mobilizing effect of immigration. This research offers insights into the recent political landscape in Western democracies, contributing to debates on democratic resilience and challenges posed by changing demographics.

 

Chevrette, S. R. 2025. “Transnational Feminist Solidarities and FEMEN’s Activism Against the Russian Government.” Women’s Studies in Communication. doi:10.1080/07491409.2025.2518030.

• Article excerpt: Feminists have sought to address oppression across national borders from various standpoints. Some global feminists focus on heteropatriarchy as a universal system and seek to build alliances between women based on similar gendered experiences. In contrast, transnational feminisms more frequently highlight how geopolitical dynamics produce dissimilar experiences for women based on national, cultural, and racial differences, historical and contemporary relationships of empire, and uneven flows of global capital and power. There are also differences between how feminisms are theorized by academics and their enactment on the ground by activists, governments, and nongovernmental organizations.

 

Conduit, Dara. 2026. “The Political Economy of Digital Authoritarianism: Evidence from the Iranian Regime’s Implementation of Technology.” Democratization 33 (1): 62–84. doi:10.1080/13510347.2025.2514766.

• Abstract: A strong but complex interplay is emerging between the politico-economic and digital aspects of authoritarianism, raising questions as to how this relates to the existing political economy of authoritarianism that has been observed over the course of many decades. This article asks: Are the politico-economic dynamics that have long shaped authoritarianism also relevant to understanding digital authoritarianism? To answer the question, this article identifies three mechanisms through which the longstanding politico-economic dynamics of authoritarianism also shape the implementation of digital authoritarianism. These mechanisms are then exemplified and illustrated with evidence from Iran. It contributes to the emerging literature on the political economy of digital authoritarianism, making two key findings. First, digital authoritarianism is subject to the same politico-economic constraints that shaped the pre-digital operating environment the authoritarian state. Second, this complex and longstanding politico-economic context plays a key role in shaping and bounding a regime’s survival-driven technology agenda.

 

de Kloet, J., and T. Poell. 2025. “Why the Everyday Is Essential: Navigating Censorship and Surveillance on WeChat in China.” Media, Culture & Society 48 (2). doi:10.1177/01634437251380415.

• Abstract: This article examines everyday, non-activist forms of political communication on WeChat in the Beijing region. How is the communication of sensitive issues entwined with other daily communicative practices? And how do users negotiate the Chinese system of online surveillance and censorship? Examining how WeChat users communicate sensitive issues, knowing that every word and image they share can be tracked, analyzed, and acted upon, we, bringing the work of James Scott in dialogue with Chinese internet studies, demonstrate how online contention is openly articulated, but simultaneously obfuscated and disguised. We focus on the sticky super app WeChat, being the central node of the Chinese internet, deeply integrated into everyday life. We argue that, especially in China and other authoritarian contexts, it is vital to situate, study, and analyze online contention within the flows of everyday communication. Confronted by ubiquitous surveillance and censorship, Chinese citizens constantly and consciously calibrate the way they voice or do not voice opinions on sensitive societal issues. By weaving sensitive messages through mundane exchanges on social media, they can hide in plain sight. Yet, we also show that these small forms of resistance are vulnerable, and certainly not bulletproof to state repression and online harassment.

 

Dweik, S. C., and L. LeMaster. 2025. “Transnational Feminist Solidarities Against Empire.” Women’s Studies in Communication. doi:10.1080/07491409.2025.2520120.

• Article excerpt: At the time of writing this, we continue to witness the brutalities of empire targeting marginalized and Third World people across the globe. The ongoing, accelerated genocide in Palestine, attacks upon Indigenous peoples in Abya Yala (or South America), decimation of the Global South’s environment, such as in the Democratic Republic of the Congo for rare earth mineral acquisition, and targeting of trans peoples on occupied Turtle Island as a few examples demonstrate how empire attempts to thwart global revolution and solidarity. As Nina Farina (2022) writes, U.S. imperialism codifies itself into laws through militarism, unilateral coercive measures, foreign aid, and the deployment of the dollar. However, in her interview with Nick Estes (2025), Farina notes that within our current moment of a second Trump presidency, imperialist policies have been reconfigured to target those rendered as outsiders inside the nation. Through military and police deployment against international students, migrants, pro-Palestine organizers, Black and Brown, Muslims, trans, undocumented, disabled, and many other people with precarious positionalities, we are witnessing the U.S. imperial project attempt to revive its-dying-self by reconfiguring its foreign policy in domestic terms. As a result, subjects within the metropole are forced to confront the intense violence of imperial policy designed for global enforcement rather than domestic control. This “turn to authoritarianism and totalitarian thought” (Levina, 2025, p. 2) rings the alarm once again, urging us not to retreat into our silos, but to instead forge feminist solidarities across borders and differences and against empire. The drive for such solidaric labor is less about insulating people in the imperial metropole from imperial policy designed for “outsiders” than it is about forging solidarities in light of the recognition of resonant—not the same—oppressive forces used to assert authoritarian control far and near.

 

Fasce, Angelo, and Diego Avendaño. 2025. “Left-Wing Identity Politics and Authoritarian Attitudes: A Correlational Study of Social Media Users.” Journal of Political Ideologies 30 (1): 137–54. doi:10.1080/13569317.2023.2246914.

• Abstract: Identity politics based on an interpretation of society as a system of power and privilege are increasingly influential within left-wing parties and movements. We used two cross-sectional samples composed of Spanish-speaking social media users (total N = 1684) to assess the relationship between psychological variables typically associated with left-wing identity politics and authoritarian attitudes. In Study 1, we tested perceived grievance, identity-based ideology, and prejudice towards groups perceived as privileged, which positively predicted left-wing authoritarianism, with large effect sizes. In Study 2, we replicated our results on identity-based ideology and observed that social justice attitudes also positively predicted left-wing authoritarianism. These results aid understanding of political attitudes among social media users and help to close the gap in relation to the wider literature on right-wing authoritarianism.

 

Ferrell, A. P. 2025. “Reckoning with the Institutional Intimacies and Rhetorical Inheritances of ‘Universities and Slavery’ and ‘Diversity.’” Southern Communication Journal. doi:10.1080/1041794X.2025.2563252.

• Abstract: In the first decades of the twenty-first century, hundreds of universities across the United States and around the globe have engaged in studies of their institutional legacies of slavery, efforts that often involve underlying, if uneasy, intimacies with university diversity imperatives. In this article, I examine the institutional proximity of these “repair” and “redress” projects to glean insights as to how those of us engaged in the field and praxis of universities and slavery might navigate this epistemological entanglement amid contemporary political pressures. By focusing on the Scarlet and Black Project, at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, I reveal how the field of universities and slavery and the individuals propelling its growth rhetorically navigate and shoulder the burdens of these concurrent institutional endeavors within the corporate university. I argue that rhetorical perspectives play a vital role in assessing and navigating the tenuous present of diversity in higher education in relationship to the enduring legacies of the university’s racial past.

 

Garbe, Lisa, and Seraphine F. Maerz. 2026. “The Rise of Authoritarian Informationalism: Escalating Surveillance, Manipulation, and Control.” Democratization 33 (1): 1–18. doi:10.1080/13510347.2025.2579105.

• Abstract: The past decade has witnessed a transformation in the study of authoritarian governance, with increasing attention paid to how digital technologies reshape strategies of regime survival. While initial research focused on individual digital strategies like censorship, internet shutdowns, or online propaganda, emerging scholarship conceptualizes the broader, meta-level effects of digitalization on authoritarian tactics. Building on these advancements, we introduce the concept of authoritarian informationalism to capture the evolving interplay between analogue and digital strategies of surveillance, manipulation, and information control. This approach emphasizes the centrality of information flows in contemporary political power, highlighting a shift from visible, repressive coercion towards more covert, preventive, and targeted forms of digital repression. Authoritarian informationalism is characterized by (1) an expansion of actors—from states to private entities and individuals; (2) increased precision, moving from reactive to pre-emptive and fine-grained control; and (3) broader scope, extending from local and national to transnational domains and across regime types. Importantly, this transformation blurs traditional boundaries between autocracies and democracies, as well as between domestic and international spheres. Our framework and the contributions to this Special Issue bridge empirical analyses of digital tools and theoretical debates on authoritarian resilience, illustrating both the extension of authoritarian informational power and the emergence of new vulnerabilities and dependencies.

 

Girshin, T. 2026. “Counternarratives of the Everyday: Rhetoric and Resistance in the Letters of Gulag Prisoners.” Rhetoric Society Quarterly. doi:10.1080/02773945.2026.2635957.

• Abstract: This article analyzes rhetorical resistance in letters written by Gulag prisoners under Stalin, asking how rhetorical agency may persist under conditions designed to annihilate it. The article shows how prisoners used performative compliance and strategic omission to mask resistance and to enlarge the viable spaces of rhetorical agency. I argue these letters highlight collective resistance that counters state hegemony through the affirmation of a vernacular status quo. Turning to the wider significance of these discursive acts, I end by articulating the way the letters drew on everyday rhetorics to maintain a vision of normalcy that directly contrasts the Soviet project of the “new human,” which sought to remake everyday life (byt) in ideological terms. Ultimately, I argue that, in reasserting everyday concerns, the letters enact a persistent rhetorical agency, maintaining the emergence of difference in the face of totalitarian control.

 

Grigoryan, Lusine, Vladimir Ponizovskiy, Marie Isabelle Weißflog, Evgeny Osin, and Brian Lickel. 2025. “Guilt, Shame, and Antiwar Action in an Authoritarian Country at War.” Political Psychology 46 (1): 167–84. doi:10.1111/pops.12985.

• Abstract: Feeling guilt and shame for the harm done to others by the ingroup can facilitate intergroup reconciliation. Most of the studies showing this effect are conducted in democratic countries and on historical, not current, conflicts. We investigated the role of group-based guilt and shame in collective action in an authoritarian country at war. We asked more than 1000 Russians living in Russia, in a sample representative of the country’s population by gender and age, about their experiences of group-based guilt and shame regarding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and their past and future antiwar political actions. We tested whether political efficacy is necessary for experiencing group-based guilt and shame, and whether these emotions are predictive of antiwar action over and above other emotions and attitudes. Democratic values, not political efficacy, were the most robust predictor of group-based guilt and shame. Only moral shame, but not image shame or guilt, predicted past and future antiwar action. Whereas attitude towards the war and moral shame predicted engagement in antiwar action (vs. none), other negative dominant emotions like anger predicted the degree of this engagement. We highlight the gaps in the study of collective action and the need for more evidence from nondemocratic contexts.

 

Kim, Taegyoon, and Wonjun Song. 2026. “Legacies of Party Origins on the Electoral Performance of Former Authoritarian Ruling Parties.” Democratization 33 (4): 823–50. doi:10.1080/13510347.2025.2514013.

• Abstract: This article investigates why some former authoritarian ruling parties survive and succeed after democratic transitions, while others decline. We argue that parties formed before the onset of authoritarian rule (“pre-seizure” parties) are better positioned to endure and compete under democracy than those established after authoritarian consolidation (“post-seizure” parties). Pre-seizure parties, having developed strong party brands independent of authoritarian resource advantages, are more resilient to democratic constraints. In contrast, post-seizure parties, reliant on state patronage, are more vulnerable to collapse. Using a global dataset of former authoritarian ruling parties from 1946 to 2010, we find that pre-seizure parties are significantly more likely to survive and secure higher legislative vote shares after transition. They also weather transitional economic crises more effectively. Additional analysis shows that pre-seizure parties depend less on clientelism and more on grassroots support, further reflecting stronger party branding. These findings highlight the enduring influence of party origins on democratic performance and contribute to broader debates on authoritarian legacies, democratization, and party development.

 

Koesel, Karrie J., and Ani Sarkissian. 2025. “Religion and the Authoritarian Toolkit: Are Carrots Substitutes for Sticks?” Democratization 32 (8): 2113–36. doi:10.1080/13510347.2025.2489024.

• Abstract: This study investigates how the authoritarian toolkit is used against a lesser-studied type of opposition: religious groups. We explore how authoritarian rulers balance instruments of repression and co-optation, and test whether strategies designed to co-opt religious life reduce the regime’s use of repression. Capitalizing on detailed data on state policies toward religious groups from 185 countries over 24 years, we compare how four co-optive tools—patronage, policy concessions, political parties, and bureaucracies—are used to buy off and encapsulate religious groups, facilitate compliance, gather information, and signal regime authority. We find that different tools of co-optation have multi-directional effects on regime repression. When dictators use patronage and policy concessions to co-opt religious communities, they continue to use sticks, whereas religious political parties and state-led religious bureaucracies reduce regime repression. These findings challenge the conventional wisdom that co-optation is a substitute for repression and advance our understanding of how dictators balance different instruments of control against groups who have the potential to be both supportive and subversive.

 

Love, Savannah, and Rachael Sharman. 2025. “Perceived Grievance and Individualising Moralities: Exploring the Psychological Structure of Left-Wing Authoritarianism.” Journal of Political Ideologies 30 (3): 748–73. doi:10.1080/13569317.2024.2344755.

• Abstract: Research shows a sharp increase in political polarization over the last two decades. While right-wing authoritarianism has received considerable academic attention, the psychological mechanisms of left-wing authoritarianism remain under-explored. This study used structural equation modeling to empirically test the factors that influence left-wing authoritarianism and its relationship with features of identity politics and psychological distress. Moral foundations theory was used to assess the moral concerns underlying left-wing authoritarianism. Participants from English-speaking countries (52.4% female, aged 18 to 85 years old) were recruited from various political groups on social media. The final sample (N = 299) voluntarily completed an online survey measuring left-wing authoritarianism, psychological distress, moral concerns, need for cognitive closure, and emotional reactivity. The final model explained 53% of the variance in left-wing authoritarianism and demonstrated that psychological distress indirectly affects left-wing authoritarianism through perceived grievance. However, perceived grievance had the strongest direct impact, providing support for the premise that perceived grievance, a feature of identity politics, constitutes a strong positive predictor of left-wing authoritarianism. Additionally, non-hypothesized mediating effects were observed from perceived grievance to the individualizing foundations and left-wing authoritarianism.

 

Maerz, Seraphine F. 2026. “How Practices of Digital Authoritarianism Harm Democracy.” Democratization 33 (1): 163–90. doi:10.1080/13510347.2025.2553826.

• Abstract: During the last decade, digital authoritarianism has become a key characteristic of modern autocracies. However, a range of democratically elected governments also apply practices of digital authoritarianism. This includes official disinformation in social media, the abuse of defamation and copyright laws, surveilling social media, and government access to personal data on the internet. Are these instances of digital authoritarianism in democratic contexts merely flaws of the system which are effectively handled by strong democratic institutions and an engaged public, or do they significantly harm democracy? This article conceptualizes three forms of digital authoritarianism—manipulative, surveilling, and controlling practices—which have the potential to undermine basic principles of democracy. Manipulating online contents with official disinformation and “fake news” laws sabotages accountability. Social media surveillance and accessing private data infringes on civil liberties. Controlling the online public sphere with internet censorship and shutdowns violates freedom of expression. Based on data from the Digital Society Project, the article analyses the effects of digital authoritarianism in democratic settings and, for the most part, finds confirmation for the assumptions about how manipulative, surveilling, and controlling practices harm democratic institutions.

 

Makarchev, Nikita, Xin Tao, Iurii Shliakov, Chunwen Xiao, Stephanie Pedron, Bohao Yao, Trung Chinh Dang, Duy Anh Le, and Albert Sanghoon Park. 2026. “Authoritarian Indoctrination in Putin’s Russia: Evidence from Higher Education Staff.” Democratization 33 (4): 851–75. doi:10.1080/13510347.2025.2515505.

• Abstract: What are the patterns and predictors of support for authoritarianism in authoritarian regimes? Existing studies address this question primarily in relation to broad authoritarian tendencies, authoritarian political systems and/or authoritarian leaders. Furthermore, they typically examine general populations and model support as a function of a single predictor category. This article, using a survey of Russian university employees, shifts the focus to support for authoritarian indoctrination in both its passive and active forms. In addition, it reconceptualizes support as an expression of diverse individual- and organization-level psychological needs. Subsequently, this article finds that, although support for active and passive authoritarian indoctrination is modest, it is (a) associated with individual and organizational predictors; and (b) mediated by four types of psychological justifications (i.e., palliative, existential, relational, and ideational) corresponding to coping with powerlessness, sustaining predictability and order, maintaining social belonging and reputational safety, and upholding perceived moral or ideological legitimacy. Theoretically, the above extends relevant research by demonstrating the value of a more nuanced and refined explanatory mechanism (i.e., multi-type system justification). Empirically, it also advances understandings of Russia’s authoritarian resilience by illuminating the limits of indoctrination support.

 

Martel, Francois Alexi, Philip Moniz, Ashwini Ashokkumar, and William B. Swann Jr. 2025. “Identity Fusion and Support for Political Authoritarianism: Lessons from the U.S. Insurrection of 2021.” Political Psychology 46 (1): 129–43. doi:10.1111/pops.12979.

• Abstract: The recent surge in political authoritarianism has triggered interest in the factors that regulate its rise and fall. We explored these phenomena in the time around the January 6, 2021, insurrection in the United States. Identity fusion (synergistic union) with Trump predicted the perception that Democrats represented an existential threat to the American way of life; higher perceived threat, in turn, predicted endorsement of authoritarian actions against Democrats. Biden supporters did not display analogous effects. Among Trump supporters and, to a lesser extent, Biden supporters, fusion with the United States negatively predicted both the perception that out-party members represented an existential threat and endorsement of authoritarian actions against them. These findings provide unique insight into the role of identity in the nation’s closest brush with authoritarian takeover in over a century.

 

Moradian, Manijeh. 2025. “Resisting Authoritarianism and War: An Iranian Left Feminist Perspective.” Communication, Culture & Critique 18 (4): 279–81. doi:10.1093/ccc/tcaf038.

• Abstract: Neda Naji, a feminist activist, researcher and former political prisoner in Iran, talks with scholar and activist Manijeh Moradian about leftist forms of Iranian feminism that are rarely heard in the western media. Naji discusses the intersections of authoritarianism and war, the challenges of organizing under extreme state repression, and the quotidian yet theoretically sophisticated ways that feminists have tried to oppose domestic and imperial forms of structural violence.

 

Ofori, M. 2024. “‘The Brunt of the Colonial Yoke Continues to Weigh on Us’: Understanding Africa’s Geopolitics as a Decolonial Struggle.” Communication Studies. doi:10.1080/10510974.2024.2408049.

• Abstract: The escalation of tensions in the global political arena is hardly a recent development. Presently, there’s a notable shift toward acknowledging the enduring impact of historical traumas such as slavery, World Wars, and colonialism on humans and nations. Colonialism dealt a significant blow to Africa, with the effects manifesting as trauma. Despite its colonial tragedy, a substantial body of literature recognizes the increasing agency of Africa. Thus, this study examines Africa’s evolving economic, political, and security tensions in light of its colonial history. It applies Postcolonial Theory and Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) as theoretical and analytical lenses to examine the speeches of twelve (12) African leaders who participated in the 2023 Russia–Africa Summit. I explore the pattern of issues discussed by these leaders in terms of their indicative nature of postcolonial trauma and examine how the speeches demonstrate Africa’s agency within the international political landscape. The findings reveal that African leaders tie their current political, economic, and security situations in their country to the remnants of colonialism and imperialism. Fueled with resentments, these leaders are more inclined to distrust the West but maintain trust in Russia and its “strategic” partnership. Therefore, in asserting their agency, the analysis indicates a shift toward Africa’s interdependency and desired participation in big-power politics with “sincere” support from Russia. This study highlights a significant trend in Africa’s geopolitical landscape, examining how colonialism has shaped the region’s political dynamics and impacted its diplomatic aspirations in today’s multipolar world.

 

Praet, Jasper. 2026. “Bringing Authoritarianism into the Limelight: The Implications for Populist Radical Right Ideology.” Journal of Political Ideologies 31 (2): 391–413. doi:10.1080/13569317.2024.2442334.

• Abstract: Nativism, authoritarianism, and populism are traditionally regarded as the defining ideological dimensions of populist radical right parties. However, authoritarianism in party discourse is under-theorized and it has received little empirical scrutiny compared to the other two dimensions. Building on the psychology literature on the concept, I provide an updated definition of authoritarianism that consists of three subdimensions: the identification of threat, authoritarian submission to authority and norms, and authoritarian aggression toward deviants. Afterwards, I relate authoritarianism’s definition to populism, finding that authoritarianism shares strong similarities with populism. It appears that populism can be seen as a specific manifestation of authoritarianism.

 

Schmidt-Feuerheerd, Bruno. 2026. “Collaborative Authoritarianism and Its Unintended Consequences.” Democratization33 (1): 19–39. doi:10.1080/13510347.2024.2432018.

• Abstract: Why do authoritarian regimes maintain access to open U.S.-owned social media platforms like Twitter and how do pro-government supporters use them? While the literature on consultative authoritarianism explains how limited public engagement through purpose-built input institutions can be used to gauge public grievances and boost regime legitimacy, we know less about the implications of open social media applications and why the regime maintains access to them despite their subversive potential. This article argues that open platforms allow pro-government supporters to perform public opinion and police views that do not align with official state talking points, creating an impression of a consensus about what society “thinks.” Yet, they might push the government to respond to their demands that might not align with official state interests. I label this practice of enlisting supporters and segments of society for political control collaborative authoritarianism. This practice extends to purpose-built law-enforcement apps, engaging broader segments of the population. Introducing the case of Twitter use in Saudi Arabia, this article draws on around 100 interviews that I conducted with patriotic and nationalist journalists, intellectuals, and Twitter influencers across Saudi Arabia between November 2021 and May 2022. The article provides novel insights into the grassroots politics of digital authoritarianism as well as the mobilization of illiberal movements beyond Saudi Arabia.

 

Serres, Thomas. 2026. “Authoritarian Liberalism and the Triangulation of the Antiracist Left in France.” Ethnic and Racial Studies 49 (6): 1258–76. doi:10.1080/01419870.2025.2556545.

• Abstract: This article reflects on the role of racial questions in the emergence of authoritarian liberalism by foregrounding France as a case study. It starts by explaining the progressive exhaustion of a model of liberal-democratic antiracism that sought to attenuate racial discrimination through cooptation and education, but which failed to address state racism. This contributed to the emergence of new contentious modes for antiracist claim-making and the forging of new alliances with radical and revolutionary leftist parties. Thus, the article emphasizes the racial dynamics that underpin the shift from liberal democracy to authoritarian liberalism. Indeed, the re-politicization of antiracism collides with the political triangulation that has become characteristic of liberal regimes since the 1990s. The expansion and radicalization of the electoral strategies crafted by social liberals results in the assimilation of antiracist elements with the “populist” enemies of the rational center.

 

Turchenko, Mikhail, Margarita Zavadskaya, and Grigorii V. Golosov. 2026. “Resistance at the Polls: Coordinated Anti-Regime Voting in Russia’s Transition from Competitive to Hegemonic Authoritarianism, 2019–2021.” Democratization 33 (2): 369–91. doi:10.1080/13510347.2025.2507360.

• Abstract: Is it possible for dissenting citizens in modern-day autocracies to challenge the non-democratic status quo through regular elections? Scrutinizing the smart vote, a voting coordination strategy proposed by Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, this article examines the efficiency and limitations of collective anti-regime voting in a regime on the edge of transition from competitive to hegemonic authoritarianism. The analysis is based on the official electoral data covering the period 2019–2021, a list experiment conducted after the 2021 parliamentary elections in Russia, and an original survey of Russian wartime migrants. We find that the smart vote strategy significantly boosted the electoral results of targeted candidates regardless of their party affiliations. This article provides empirical evidence that both instrumental and intrinsic factors brought the dissenting voters to the polls. In the end, however, Russia’s transition to hegemonic authoritarianism, with an increased level of control over the electoral process in combination with outright repression of the opposition, rendered the smart vote strategy impossible.

 

Valayden, Diren, Belinda Walzer, and Alexandra S. Moore. 2024. “The Ordinariness of January 6: Rhetorics of Participation in Antidemocratic Culture.” Journal of Right-Wing Studies 2 (1). doi:10.5070/RW3.1512.

• Abstract: The January 6, 2021, Capitol riot appeared as an extraordinary and shocking event to many American citizens. In fact, the various framings of the riot such as “insurrection,” “sedition,” or “domestic terrorism” seem to confirm the unprecedented nature of the day. By contrast, in this article we argue that January 6 can be understood in terms of its ordinariness, that is, as “the most ordinary thing that could happen” when viewed in the context of right-wing politics. We first argue that the reliance on a universalized dichotomy between authoritarianism and democracy in current research on right-wing politics in the United States tends to reify those terms, and thus miss the ordinary and routine dimension of antidemocratic practices. We subsequently propose the concept antidemocratic cultures to understand how right-wing political dispositions are fabricated through and mediated by rhetorical acts including speech, written texts, and embodied everyday practice. We analyze the rhetoric of participation of riot participants by reading their text messages, social media posts, and interviews with law enforcement and news media, as detailed in their arrest sheets. The rhetoric of participation of riot participants reveals how political dispositions are fabricated through ordinary language use and how these identities congeal in antidemocratic cultures. In the last section, we further discuss how a theory of antidemocratic cultures provides a novel framework to understand contemporary right-wing politics.

 

Varajidás, Henrique. 2025. “The Hundred Years’ Theory: Revisiting the Tree and Fruits of Totalitarianism Studies, 1920–2020.” Politics, Religion & Ideology 26 (2): 155–77. doi:10.1080/21567689.2025.2547643.

• Abstract: For decades, the following interpretation of the accomplishments of the early history of the category and theory of totalitarianism has dominated the field: after a few precursors had introduced a promising comparative approach to make sense of a new class of extreme regimes, a generation of classics failed to develop the resulting epistemic tool beyond a subjective, simplistic, abstract, and static form of explanation. By revisiting a fairly representative sample of the centenary literature, we come to counter that the main instances of criticism directed at the classics are questionable, and that the implied thesis of a sharp discontinuity between them and those who came after is doubtable and has diverted attention from potentially more substantial and consequential continuities. Thus, we suggest that despite the differences in context and approach, three basic interpretative models unceasingly recur throughout the classics, critics, and post-classic apologists of the category: totalitarianism as the attempt to force societies to conform to an ideological blueprint; as the pursuit of a post-ideological leap beyond more parochial modes of politics; and as the pathological pursuit of control as an end in itself. We conclude that, together, such models delineate a yet unchallenged master framework for explaining totalitarian regimes.

 

Added Sept. 2025

Albertus, Michael. Autocracy and Redistribution. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2015.

• AI Summary: This book examines how autocratic regimes utilize redistribution as a tool to maintain power. It argues that autocrats strategically manage economic resources, including through expropriation and patronage, to manage elite and popular support, thereby enhancing their survival in power.

 

Albertus, Michael, and Victor Menaldo. Authoritarianism and the Elite Origins of Democracy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2018.

• AI Summary: This work explores the conditions under which authoritarian regimes transition to democracy, focusing on the role of elites. It posits that democratic transitions often occur when authoritarian leaders, facing internal or external pressures, opt to democratize to preserve their wealth and influence rather than risk violent overthrow.

 

Albertus, Michael, and Victor Menaldo. “If You’re Against Them You’re with Us: The Effect of Expropriation on Autocratic Survival.” Comparative Political Studies 45, no. 8 (2012): 973–1003.

• AI Summary: This article investigates the impact of expropriation—the seizure of private assets—on the longevity of autocratic regimes. It suggests that while expropriation can consolidate power by eliminating rivals and generating resources, it also carries risks that can destabilize the regime depending on how it’s implemented and perceived by key actors.

 

Arendt, Hannah. The Origins of Totalitarianism. New York: Harcourt, Brace & Company, 1951.

• AI Summary: Arendt’s The Origins of Totalitarianism examines the rise of totalitarian movements, tracing their roots through antisemitism, imperialism, and the collapse of traditional political structures. She analyzes the mechanisms of fascist regimes—particularly Nazism—and identifies how mass propaganda, racism, and extreme nationalism underpin their ideologies. The book remains a foundational critique of the political conditions that enable fascist systems to emerge and thrive.

 

Beetham, David. The Legitimation of Power. London: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2013.

• AI Summary: This foundational text explores various ways in which political power, including authoritarian power, is legitimized. Beetham discusses how consent, legality, and shared beliefs contribute to the acceptance of power, and how these mechanisms can be manipulated or eroded in authoritarian contexts to maintain control.

 

Bond, Bayleigh Elaine, and Ryan Neville-Shepard. “The Rise of Presidential Eschatology: Conspiracy Theories, Religion, and the January 6th Insurrection.” American Behavioral Scientist 67, no. 5 (2023): 681–96.

• AI Summary: This article examines the intersection of conspiracy theories, religious beliefs, and political violence, particularly in the context of the January 6th insurrection. While not directly on authoritarian regimes, it offers insights into how belief systems can be mobilized to challenge democratic institutions and support leaders exhibiting authoritarian tendencies.

 

Césaire, Aimé. “Discourse on Colonialism.” In Postcolonialism, 310–339. New York: Routledge, 2023.

• AI Summary: Aimé Césaire’s Discourse on Colonialism delivers a scathing critique of European colonial ideology, revealing how colonialism shares structural affinities with fascism—particularly through its reliance on violence, racial hierarchy, and dehumanization. Césaire argues that the methods used in the colonies eventually seeped back into Europe, facilitating the rise of fascist regimes that mirrored colonial brutality. His work positions white nationalism not as an isolated ideology, but as part of a broader imperialist logic that underpins both colonial and fascist enterprises.

 

Corrales, Javier. “Why Populism Is the Sugar, Salt, and Fat of Our Politics. . . with Variations: A Reflection.” The American Behavioral Scientist (Beverly Hills) 68, no. 13 (2024): 1804–14. doi:10.1177/00027642241268275.

• AI Summary: Javier Corrales’s article uses a vivid metaphor—populism as the sugar, salt, and fat of politics—to explain how authoritarian-populist leaders distort democratic norms by oversupplying familiar democratic elements in toxic combinations. He argues that policies meant to empower the voiceless (sugar), challenge elites (salt), and saturate reform agendas (fat) become addictive and corrosive when manipulated excessively, leading to regimes that veer into authoritarianism while maintaining mass appeal. The study highlights how both left- and right-wing populists emulate each other’s tactics, creating hybrid regimes that blur the line between democracy and autocracy.

 

Johnson, Valerie C., Jennifer Ruth, and Ellen Schrecker, eds. The Right to Learn: Resisting the Right-Wing Attack on Academic Freedom. Boston: Beacon Press, 2024.

• AI Summary: This edited volume examines how academic freedom is under assault from right-wing forces, a trend that can be seen as a form of creeping authoritarianism within democratic systems. By analyzing efforts to control curriculum, censor speech, and punish dissenting scholars, the book illustrates how the erosion of open inquiry and critical thought can pave the way for more overt forms of authoritarian control, limiting the public’s access to diverse perspectives and accurate information.

 

Levitsky, Steven, and Lucan Way. “Revolution and Dictatorship: The Violent Origins of Durable Authoritarianism.” 2022.

• AI Summary: This work delves into the violent and often revolutionary origins of highly durable authoritarian regimes. It argues that the specific circumstances surrounding a regime’s birth, particularly the degree of violence and the nature of the opposition, are critical in shaping its long-term resilience and ability to suppress dissent. Understanding these historical pathways provides insight into why some authoritarian systems persist for decades despite internal and external pressures.

 

Guriev, Sergei, and Daniel Treisman. Spin Dictators: The Changing Face of Tyranny in the 21st Century. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2022.

• AI Summary: This book introduces the concept of “spin dictatorships,” arguing that modern authoritarian regimes increasingly rely on sophisticated propaganda, censorship, and manipulation of information rather than overt repression to maintain power. Unlike traditional dictatorships that use fear, spin dictators aim to persuade their populations, creating an illusion of legitimacy and public support, which poses a new challenge to democratic forces attempting to counter authoritarian influence.

 

Hallin, Daniel C., and Paolo Mancini. Comparing Media Systems: Three Models of Media and Politics. Cambridge University Press, 2004.

• AI Summary: Hallin and Mancini provide a framework for analyzing media systems and their relationship to politics, identifying three primary models: polarized pluralist, democratic corporatist, and liberal. They explore how different media systems can either resist or facilitate authoritarian influence, emphasizing the importance of media in shaping political discourse and maintaining democratic norms.

 

Hallin, Daniel C., and Paolo Mancini, eds. Comparing Media Systems Beyond the Western World. Cambridge University Press, 2011.

• AI Summary: This edited volume extends the analysis of media systems to non-Western contexts, examining how varying political, social, and economic conditions influence media operations. The contributors discuss how media systems in different regions can support or hinder authoritarian regimes, highlighting the global diversity of media-politics dynamics.

 

Levitsky, Steven, and Lucan A. Way. Competitive Authoritarianism: Hybrid Regimes after the Cold War. Cambridge University Press, 2010.

• AI Summary: Levitsky and Way introduce the concept of competitive authoritarianism, where democratic institutions exist but are undermined by authoritarian practices. They provide a comparative analysis of hybrid regimes, illustrating how these systems maintain a facade of democracy while restricting genuine political competition and civil liberties.

 

Lührmann, Anna, and Staffan I. Lindberg. “Keeping the Democratic Façade: Contemporary Autocratization as a Game of Deception.” V-Dem Working Paper, 75, 2018.

• AI Summary: Lührmann and Lindberg explore how modern autocratization often involves maintaining a superficial appearance of democracy while eroding its substance. They analyze how deceptive practices are employed by authoritarian regimes to consolidate power, focusing on the manipulation of democratic institutions to serve autocratic ends.

 

Lührmann, Anna, and Staffan I. Lindberg. “A Third Wave of Autocratization is Here: What is New About It?” Democratization 26, no. 7 (2019): 1095-1113.

• AI Summary: This article discusses the contemporary wave of autocratization, identifying new patterns and strategies that differentiate it from previous periods. Lührmann and Lindberg highlight how modern autocrats exploit democratic processes, such as elections and media, to legitimize their rule while systematically dismantling democratic institutions.

 

Monk-Payton, Brandy. “‘Look at My African American’: On Authoritarian Populism, Blackness, and Celebrity.” JCMS: Journal of Cinema and Media Studies 63, no. 2 (2024): 162-168. https://dx.doi.org/10.1353/cj.2024.a919198.

• AI Summary: Brandy Monk-Payton’s article examines how authoritarian populism in the U.S., particularly under Donald Trump, exploits Blackness and celebrity culture to legitimize power and appeal to white nationalist sentiments. Through media analysis—including Trump’s controversial “Look at my African American” remark and his appearances on Saturday Night Live—Monk-Payton reveals how Black celebrities are tokenized and instrumentalized to construct a populist image rooted in racial spectacle. The study argues that this racialized celebritization masks authoritarian tendencies by blending entertainment, identity politics, and strategic representation.

 

Memmi, Albert. The Colonizer and the Colonized. Routledge, 2013.

• AI Summary: Memmi’s seminal work deeply explores the psychological and social dynamics between the colonizer and the colonized, illustrating how the colonial system inherently creates an authoritarian power structure. It highlights how this relationship relies on the dehumanization of the colonized and the assertion of absolute control by the colonizer, establishing a framework of domination that suppresses native identity and agency.

 

Memmi, Albert. Decolonization and the Decolonized. U of Minnesota Press, 2006.

• AI Summary: This work examines the complex process of decolonization and its aftermath for those who lived under colonial rule. Memmi discusses how the legacy of colonial authoritarianism often lingers, influencing new forms of power dynamics and struggles for self-determination. It addresses the challenges faced by newly independent states in overcoming ingrained structures of control and forging a truly liberated society.

 

Memmi, Albert, Thomas Cassirer, and G. Michael Twomey. “The impossible life of Frantz Fanon.” The Massachusetts Review 14, no. 1 (1973): 9-39.

• AI Summary: This article provides insight into the life and thought of Frantz Fanon, a key theorist of liberation from colonial oppression, whose work often analyzed the violent and authoritarian nature of colonialism. By exploring Fanon’s experiences and ideas, the piece indirectly touches upon how oppressive colonial systems necessitated a radical response, highlighting the inherently authoritarian character of colonial rule that Fanon sought to dismantle.

 

Mamdani, Mahmood. “Beyond settler and native as political identities: Overcoming the political legacy of colonialism.” Comparative Studies in Society and History 43, no. 4 (2001): 651-664.

• AI Summary: Mamdani argues that the enduring political legacy of colonialism is the creation of rigid “settler” and “native” identities, which often form the basis for post-colonial authoritarianism and conflict. He contends that overcoming these imposed categories is crucial for building inclusive political communities and moving beyond the authoritarian divisions that colonialism instigated to maintain control.

 

Mamdani, Mahmood. When Victims Become Killers: Colonialism, Nativism, and the Genocide in Rwanda. Princeton University Press, 2020.

• AI Summary: In this profound analysis, Mamdani connects the Rwandan genocide to the authoritarian administrative structures and identity politics imposed by colonial rule. He demonstrates how the colonial “define and rule” strategy created rigid ethnic categories, which, when combined with a post-colonial authoritarian state, facilitated the mobilization of populations towards violence, illustrating the devastating impact of inherited colonial authoritarianism.

 

Mamdani, Mahmood. “Citizen and subject: Contemporary Africa and the legacy of late colonialism.” 2018: 1-384.

• AI Summary: This foundational work explores how late colonialism in Africa created a dual system of rule: “citizens” governed by civil law in urban areas, and “subjects” ruled by customary law in rural areas, leading to a fragmented and often authoritarian state. Mamdani reveals how this inherited distinction continues to shape political exclusion and the exercise of power in post-colonial African states, perpetuating authoritarian legacies.

 

Mamdani, Mahmood. Define and Rule: Native as Political Identity. Harvard University Press, 2012.

• AI Summary: Mamdani elaborates on how colonial powers used the concept of “native” as a political identity to establish and maintain their authoritarian rule, differentiating between populations to facilitate control. He analyzes how this administrative strategy created and reinforced ethnic divisions, which subsequently became embedded in post-colonial states, often contributing to new forms of authoritarian governance and conflict.

 

Moon, Ruth. Authoritarian Journalism: Controlling the News in Post-Conflict Rwanda. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2023.

• AI Summary: This book provides a contemporary case study of how authoritarian regimes control information, focusing specifically on journalism in post-conflict Rwanda. Moon investigates the mechanisms by which the state manipulates news narratives, suppresses dissent, and instrumentalizes media to consolidate power, offering a detailed look at the methods and impact of authoritarian control over the press in a modern context.

 

Schneider, Lena. Measuring Global Media Freedom. Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden, 2020.

• AI Summary: Schneider provides a comprehensive framework for assessing media freedom worldwide, examining how varying degrees of freedom impact democratic resilience and authoritarian control. Her work illustrates the critical role of free and independent media in challenging authoritarian narratives and supporting democratic accountability.

 

Simandan, Dragos, Claus Rinner, and Valentina Capurri. 2023. “The Academic Left, Human Geography, and the Rise of Authoritarianism during the COVID-19 Pandemic.” Geografiska Annaler: Series B, Human Geography 106 (2): 175–95. doi:10.1080/04353684.2023.2168560.

• AI Summary: Dragos Simandan, Claus Rinner, and Valentina Capurri’s article critiques the Academic Left’s muted response to authoritarian public health policies during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially within the field of human geography. The authors argue that many scholars failed to challenge the erosion of civil liberties and the normalization of emergency powers, despite their traditional commitment to equity and human rights. They call for a renewed wave of anti-authoritarian scholarship that interrogates how crisis narratives and biosecurity measures have enabled authoritarian governance under the guise of pandemic management.

 

Solis, John A., and Phillip D. Waggoner. “Measuring Media Freedom: An Item Response Theory Analysis of Existing Indicators.” British Journal of Political Science 51, no. 4 (2021): 1685-1704.

• AI Summary: Solis and Waggoner evaluate existing indicators of media freedom using item response theory, offering insights into the strengths and limitations of current measures. Their analysis underscores the importance of accurate assessments in understanding the media’s role in resisting authoritarianism and promoting democratic governance.

 

Simandan, Dragos, Claus Rinner, and Valentina Capurri. 2023. “The Academic Left, Human Geography, and the Rise of Authoritarianism during the COVID-19 Pandemic.” Geografiska Annaler: Series B, Human Geography 106 (2): 175–95. doi:10.1080/04353684.2023.2168560.

• AI Summary: Dragos Simandan, Claus Rinner, and Valentina Capurri’s article critiques the Academic Left’s muted response to authoritarian public health policies during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially within the field of human geography. The authors argue that many scholars failed to challenge the erosion of civil liberties and the normalization of emergency powers, despite their traditional commitment to equity and human rights. They call for a renewed wave of anti-authoritarian scholarship that interrogates how crisis narratives and biosecurity measures have enabled authoritarian governance under the guise of pandemic management.

 

Snyder, Timothy. On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the 20th Century. New York: Crown, 2017.

• AI Summary: Snyder’s concise work draws lessons from 20th-century authoritarian and totalitarian regimes to offer warnings about the fragility of democracy and the rise of tyranny in the present day. He identifies specific historical patterns and behaviors that lead to authoritarianism, providing practical guidance for citizens to recognize and resist its emergence in their own societies.

 

Sonnevend, Julia, and Veronika Kövesdi. 2023. “More Than Just a Strongman: The Strategic Construction of Victor Orbán’s Charismatic Authority on Facebook.” The International Journal of Press/Politics 29 (4), 891-918. https://doi.org/10.1177/19401612231179120

• AI Summary: This article analyzes how Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán strategically uses Facebook to cultivate an image of charismatic authority, moving beyond simple strongman rhetoric to consolidate his authoritarian rule. It highlights the role of social media in modern authoritarianism, showing how digital platforms can be leveraged to build cults of personality and maintain power through sophisticated communication strategies.

 

Stein, Edith. On the Problem of Empathy: The Collected Works of Edith Stein, Vol. 3. Translated by Waltraut Stein. Washington, D.C.: ICS Publications, 1989. *

• AI Summary: Stein’s work provides a deep phenomenological analysis of empathy, emphasizing the unique subjectivity and alterity of each individual. By foregrounding the ethical imperative of genuinely understanding the “other,” it offers a profound philosophical challenge to authoritarian power, which often relies on dehumanization and the suppression of individual consciousness.

 

Svolik, Milan. 2012. The Politics of Authoritarian Rule. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

• AI Summary: Svolik’s book provides a rigorous theoretical and empirical analysis of the fundamental political challenges faced by authoritarian regimes, particularly regarding power-sharing and political control. It explores why authoritarian leaders choose specific institutions and how they manage threats from within the elite and from the populace, offering insights into the stability and durability of different forms of authoritarian rule.

 

Parker, Christopher S. and Tolwer, Christopher C. “Race and Authoritarianism in American Politics.” Annual Review of Political Science 29 (2019). doi:10.1146/annurev-polisci-050317-064519

• AI Summary: This article examines the enduring relationship between race and authoritarian attitudes within the American political context. It explores how racial anxieties and perceptions can fuel support for authoritarian leaders and policies, demonstrating that authoritarianism is not solely a feature of non-democratic states but also a significant underlying current influencing political behavior and preferences within a democratic system.

 

Pearson, James S. “Defining Digital Authoritarianism.” Philosophy & Technology 37, no. 2 (2024). doi:10.1007/s13347-024-00754-8.

• AI Summary: In this article, Pearson critiques the traditional definition of digital authoritarianism (DA), which focuses on intentional misuse of technology by repressive regimes. He argues for a broader approach/more inclusive definition of DA that includes unintentional forms of digital repression, such as benign surveillance, digital sovereignty, attention-harvesting algorithms, and tech-induced loneliness. This expanded definition helps capture the full scope of how digital technologies contribute to authoritarianism, even without direct political intent.

 

Schrecker, Ellen. No Ivory Tower: McCarthyism and the Universities. Oxford University Press, 1986.

• AI Summary: Ellen Schrecker’s work explores the impact of McCarthyism on American universities, highlighting how anti-communist sentiments led to a climate of fear and conformity. This historical account demonstrates how authoritarian tactics can infiltrate and undermine academic freedom, offering a cautionary tale about the fragility of intellectual independence in the face of political pressure.

 

Vanderhill, Rachel. Autocracy and Resistance in the Internet Age. 1st ed. Boulder, Colo: Lynne Rienner, 2020. doi:10.1515/9781626379190.

• AI Summary: Rachel Vanderhill’s Autocracy and Resistance in the Internet Age explores how autocratic regimes strategically use digital technologies—especially social media—to maintain power through surveillance, censorship, and propaganda. Drawing on cases from the Middle East, North Africa, and post-Soviet states, Vanderhill shows that while these platforms can empower prodemocracy movements, they are often co-opted by authoritarian governments to suppress dissent and manipulate public discourse. The book underscores the dual nature of information communication technology in modern authoritarianism: both a threat to autocrats and a tool for their resilience.

 

Weigel, Moira. “The Authoritarian Personality 2.0.” Polity 54, no. 1 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1086/717511

• AI Summary: This essay reconceives Adorno’s work on the Authoritarian Personality as an early theory of algorithms, arguing that “the society of algorithms” has reshaped both authoritarianism and individual personality by revisiting his “Types and Syndromes” chapter and his content analysis of the Los Angeles Times astrology column. It uses these readings to propose an Adorno-inspired critical data science framework and the concept of the “systems update” to better understand contemporary right-wing movements in relation to digital media and historical fascism.

 

Wintrobe, Ronald. The political economy of dictatorship. Cambridge University Press, 2000.

• AI Summary: Ronald Wintrobe develops a theoretical framework to analyze how dictators maintain power using a balance of repression and loyalty. He categorizes dictatorships into different types—such as tinpot, tyrant, and totalitarian—based on how they manage this balance. The book applies economic principles to explain the behavior of authoritarian regimes, exploring issues like propaganda, fear, and state control. Wintrobe’s analysis highlights the internal logic and constraints faced by dictators, offering insights into the stability and vulnerability of such regimes.

 

Treisman, Daniel. “How great is the current danger to democracy? Assessing the risk with historical data.” Comparative Political Studies 56, no. 12 (2023): 1924-1952.

• AI Summary: Daniel Treisman uses historical data to evaluate contemporary threats to democratic systems. He compares recent global trends with past episodes of democratic backsliding to determine whether current concerns are unprecedented or part of a recurring pattern. Treisman concludes that while democracy faces real challenges, the current risk is not unusually severe by historical standards. His analysis emphasizes the importance of perspective and data-driven assessments in evaluating democratic resilience.

 

Wintrobe, Ronald. The Political Economy of Dictatorship. Cambridge University Press, 2000.

• AI Summary: Wintrobe’s book analyzes dictatorship through an economic lens, arguing that authoritarian regimes face unique dilemmas in balancing repression and loyalty to maintain power. He develops a model where dictators must decide how much to spend on controlling the population versus rewarding loyal elites, providing a framework for understanding the internal logic and stability of various authoritarian systems.

 

Treisman, Daniel. “How great is the current danger to democracy? Assessing the risk with historical data.” Comparative Political Studies 56, no. 12 (2023): 1924-1952.

• AI Summary: Treisman’s article evaluates the contemporary threat to democracy by comparing current trends with historical patterns of democratic decline and authoritarian emergence. Using empirical data, he assesses whether present-day conditions truly represent an unprecedented danger or fall within historical norms, offering a data-driven perspective on the likelihood of democratic backsliding and the rise of authoritarianism

 

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Recommended Political Thought

 

Texts and Theorists who Defended/Justified Authoritarianism

 

Cortés, Juan Donoso. “Essay on Dictatorship.” Originally published 1849.

• AI Summary: Donoso Cortés’s “Essay on Dictatorship” passionately argues for the necessity of dictatorship in times of political and social crisis, presenting it as a rational and even divinely sanctioned response to the perceived instability of liberal democracy. He contends that when society faces breakdown, a strong, singular authority is required to impose order, thus providing an intellectual defense for temporary or even permanent authoritarian rule as a necessary evil.

 

Dugin, Aleksandr. The Fourth Political Theory. Moscow: Eurasia, 2009.

• AI Summary: Dugin’s The Fourth Political Theory seeks to develop an ideological alternative to liberalism, fascism, and communism, arguing for a new form of politics rooted in a rejection of Western modernity and globalism. While complex, it often promotes a form of illiberal, anti-modern, and culturally conservative politics that centralizes power and identity, frequently aligning with authoritarian tendencies in its proposed rejection of liberal democratic norms.

 

Evola, Julius. Revolt Against the Modern World. Milan: Hoepli, 1934.

• AI Summary: Evola’s Revolt Against the Modern World is a foundational text of traditionalism, advocating for a return to a hierarchical, spiritual, and pre-modern social order, condemning what he views as the degenerate values of modernity, including democracy and egalitarianism. This work provides an ideological framework that implicitly supports an authoritarian, aristocratic, and often spiritualized form of governance as the only legitimate alternative to modern decay.

 

Filmer, Robert. Patriarcha, or The Natural Power of Kings. London: Richard Chiswell, 1680.

• AI Summary: Filmer’s Patriarcha defends the divine right of kings, asserting that monarchical power is derived directly from the patriarchal authority granted to Adam by God. This work provides a theological justification for hereditary, absolute rule, framing it as a natural and divinely ordained form of authoritarian governance that brooks no challenge from below, thereby legitimizing an autocratic system.

 

Fitzhugh, George. Cannibals All! Or, Slaves Without Masters. Richmond, VA: A. Morris, 1857.

• AI Summary: Fitzhugh’s Cannibals All! defends the institution of slavery and, more broadly, a hierarchical and authoritarian social order against the tenets of free-market capitalism and individual liberty. He argues that the dependency of master on slave is more humane than the exploitative nature of free labor, advocating for a paternalistic form of authoritarianism where some are naturally superior and destined to rule over others for their own good.

 

Hobbes, Thomas. Leviathan. London: Andrew Crooke, 1651.

• AI Summary: Hobbes’s Leviathan argues for a powerful, absolute sovereign to prevent societal chaos and the “war of all against all.” He posits that individuals willingly surrender their freedoms to an authoritarian state in exchange for peace and security, thereby providing a foundational philosophical justification for strong, centralized authority as essential for maintaining order and preventing anarchy.

 

Jünger, Ernst. On Pain. Berlin: S. Fischer, 1934.

• AI Summary: Jünger’s On Pain explores the embrace of pain and danger as a means of forging a new type of human in the modern technological age, implicitly advocating for a stoic and disciplined individual suited for a harsh, industrial, and potentially authoritarian society. While not directly political, it outlines an ethos of unfeeling strength and resilience that could underpin a worldview supportive of severe, controlling political systems.

 

Maistre, Joseph de. Considerations on France. London: J. Murray and S. Highley, 1797.

• AI Summary: De Maistre’s Considerations on France is a fervent defense of absolute monarchy and a scathing critique of the Enlightenment and the French Revolution, which he viewed as destructive forces leading to societal decay. He advocates for a return to traditional, divinely sanctioned authority, emphasizing the need for a strong, even authoritarian, hand to maintain social order and prevent revolutionary anarchy.

 

Mussolini, Benito, and Giovanni Gentile. The Doctrine of Fascism. Originally published in Enciclopedia Italiana, 1932.

• AI Summary: This work, largely attributed to Mussolini, articulates the core tenets of Fascism, emphasizing the absolute primacy of the state, the subordination of the individual to the collective, and the necessity of a charismatic, authoritarian leader. It explicitly rejects liberal democracy, socialism, and individualism, advocating for a totalitarian state that controls all aspects of life to achieve national strength and unity.

 

Schmitt, Carl. The Concept of the Political. Munich: Duncker & Humblot, 1932.

• AI Summary: Schmitt’s The Concept of the Political posits that the essence of politics lies in the distinction between friend and enemy, and that a true political order requires the sovereign’s ability to decide on this ultimate distinction, including the power to declare a state of exception. This framework provides a theoretical basis for a strong, decisive, and potentially authoritarian state that can override legal norms in times of crisis to protect its existence.

 

Schmitt, Carl. The Crisis of Parliamentary Democracy. Munich: Duncker & Humblot, 1923.

• AI Summary: In The Crisis of Parliamentary Democracy, Schmitt critiques the foundational principles of liberal parliamentarism, arguing that its reliance on open debate and compromise renders it ineffective in addressing fundamental political conflicts. He suggests that genuine political decision-making requires a more decisive and unified authority, laying intellectual groundwork for a move beyond democratic processes toward more authoritarian forms of governance.

 

Schmitt, Carl. Political Theology. Munich: Duncker & Humblot, 1922.

• AI Summary: Schmitt’s Political Theology explores the origins of modern political concepts, arguing that fundamental ideas like sovereignty derive from theological concepts, particularly the idea of a transcendent God who can suspend the law. He posits that the sovereign’s power to declare a “state of exception” and act outside the law is the essence of sovereignty, providing a theological-legal justification for potentially authoritarian rule.

 

Sedgwick, Mark, ed. Key Thinkers of the Radical Right: Behind the New Threat to Liberal Democracy. New York: Oxford University Press, 2019.

• AI Summary: This edited volume surveys the intellectual lineage of the radical right, often exploring thinkers whose ideas have contributed to or justified authoritarian or anti-democratic movements. By analyzing the core tenets of these diverse figures, the book illuminates the ideological underpinnings that frequently lead to calls for strong leadership, exclusionary politics, and the suppression of liberal democratic institutions.

 

Political Thought on Authoritarianism

 

Agamben, Giorgio. Homo Sacer: Sovereign Power and Bare Life. Translated by Daniel Heller-Roazen. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 1998.

• AI Summary: Agamben’s Homo Sacer explores the concept of “bare life” – life stripped of all political and legal rights – and its connection to sovereign power. He argues that modern political systems, including authoritarian ones, operate by creating a zone where individuals can be reduced to this bare life, subject to the absolute power of the sovereign and thereby excluded from legal protection. This theoretical framework provides a chilling perspective on the mechanisms of authoritarian control and exclusion.

 

Agamben, Giorgio. State of Exception. Translated by Kevin Attell. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2005.

• AI Summary: Building on Homo Sacer, Agamben’s State of Exception examines the historical and legal mechanisms through which a sovereign power can declare an emergency that suspends the normal rule of law. He contends that this “state of exception,” originally a temporary measure, has become a permanent feature of modern governance, providing a key tool for authoritarian regimes to bypass legal constraints and exercise unchecked power under the guise of crisis.

 

Boggs, Carl. Fascism Old and New: American Politics at the Crossroads. New York: Routledge, 2018.

• AI Summary: Boggs’s Fascism Old and New analyzes the historical roots of fascism and argues for its contemporary relevance in understanding current trends in American politics. He explores how elements of classical fascism, such as nationalism, anti-democratic tendencies, and the suppression of dissent, might manifest in new forms, suggesting a potential pathway toward authoritarianism within a seemingly democratic system.

 

Brown, Wendy. In the Ruins of Neoliberalism: The Rise of Antidemocratic Politics in the West. New York: Columbia University Press, 2019.

• AI Summary: Brown argues that the erosion of democratic norms and the rise of antidemocratic politics in the West are deeply connected to the failures and consequences of neoliberalism. She posits that the neoliberal focus on market principles and individual competition has weakened social solidarity and democratic institutions, creating fertile ground for the appeal of authoritarian leaders and movements that promise strong, decisive action.

 

Brown, Wendy, Peter Gordon, and Max Pensky, eds. Authoritarianism: Three Inquiries in Political Theory. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2023.

• AI Summary: This edited volume offers a multifaceted theoretical exploration of authoritarianism, delving into its contemporary manifestations and underlying philosophical questions. By bringing together diverse perspectives, the inquiries collectively aim to deepen understanding of how authoritarian power functions, its appeal, and its impact on political thought and societal structures in the modern era.

 

Daggett, Cara. “Petro-Masculinity: Fossil Fuels and Authoritarian Desire.” Environmental Humanities 11, no. 1 (2019): 23-41.

• AI Summary: Daggett introduces the concept of “petro-masculinity,” arguing that a desire for authoritarian control is deeply intertwined with the cultural and political narratives surrounding fossil fuels. She suggests that the dominance associated with oil and gas extraction fosters a particular brand of masculinity that aligns with hierarchical power structures and resistance to environmental regulations, thereby contributing to authoritarian tendencies.

 

Deutsch, Sandra McGee. Las Derechas: The Extreme Right in Argentina, Brazil, and Chile, 1890-1939. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 1999.

• AI Summary: Deutsch provides a historical analysis of extreme right-wing movements in three Latin American countries, detailing their ideologies, organizational structures, and paths to power. This work illuminates how various forms of right-wing authoritarianism emerged and operated in the early 20th century, offering insights into the diverse factors—social, economic, and political—that can fuel the rise of anti-democratic forces.

 

Geddes, Barbara. How Dictatorships Work: Demise, Decay, and Renewal of Authoritarian Regimes. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2018.

• AI Summary: Geddes offers a comprehensive comparative analysis of different types of dictatorships, examining their internal dynamics, survival strategies, and eventual transitions. She provides empirical insights into how various authoritarian regimes maintain power, manage dissent, and respond to crises, shedding light on the mechanisms that enable their longevity or lead to their collapse.

 

Gilroy, Paul. Against Race: Imagining Political Culture Beyond the Color Line. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2000.

• AI Summary: Gilroy critiques the persistent power of racial thinking and its role in shaping political culture, arguing for a move beyond rigid racial categories. While not exclusively about authoritarianism, his work is relevant in understanding how essentialist racial identities can be manipulated and exploited by authoritarian regimes to divide populations, consolidate power, and justify exclusionary or oppressive policies.

 

Griffin, Roger. Fascism (Key Concepts in Political Theory). Cambridge: Polity Press, 2018.

• AI Summary: Griffin’s work provides a foundational understanding of fascism as a political ideology, emphasizing its core concept of “palingenetic ultranationalism” – the belief in a national rebirth from perceived decadence. He argues that fascism, at its heart, is a revolutionary form of authoritarianism that seeks to create a radically new national community through a cult of strong leadership and the suppression of liberal democratic norms.

 

Klein, Naomi, and Astra Taylor. “The Rise of End Times Fascism.” The Intercept, November 15, 2023.

• AI Summary: This article explores a contemporary form of fascism linked to apocalyptic thinking and environmental collapse, arguing that the anxieties of the “end times” are being weaponized by authoritarian movements. It suggests that this “end times fascism” leverages fear and a sense of impending doom to justify radical, often antidemocratic, solutions and a consolidation of power.

 

Levitsky, Steven, and Daniel Ziblatt. How Democracies Die. New York: Crown, 2018.

• AI Summary: Levitsky and Ziblatt analyze the insidious ways democracies can decay from within, often through the actions of elected leaders who gradually undermine democratic institutions, rather than through military coups. They identify key warning signs and historical patterns that lead to democratic backsliding and the rise of elected authoritarianism, emphasizing the importance of democratic norms and institutional safeguards.

 

Lewis, Sophie, and Asa Seresin. “Fascist Feminisms: A Dialogue.” Viewpoint Magazine, December 15, 2020.

• AI Summary: This dialogue explores the paradoxical and unsettling concept of “fascist feminisms,” analyzing how certain strands of feminist thought might intersect with or be co-opted by authoritarian or reactionary political ideologies. It delves into how some movements, while claiming feminist goals, can simultaneously embrace hierarchical structures or exclusionary practices that ultimately serve an authoritarian agenda.

 

Mamdani, Mahmood. “Beyond settler and native as political identities: Overcoming the political legacy of colonialism.” Comparative Studies in Society and History 43, no. 4 (2001): 651-664.

• AI Summary: Mamdani argues that the enduring political legacy of colonialism is the creation of rigid “settler” and “native” identities, which often form the basis for post-colonial authoritarianism and conflict. He contends that overcoming these imposed categories is crucial for building inclusive political communities and moving beyond the authoritarian divisions that colonialism instigated to maintain control.

 

Mamdani, Mahmood. “Citizen and subject: Contemporary Africa and the legacy of late colonialism.” Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1996.

• AI Summary: This foundational work explores how late colonialism in Africa created a dual system of rule: “citizens” governed by civil law in urban areas, and “subjects” ruled by customary law in rural areas, leading to a fragmented and often authoritarian state. Mamdani reveals how this inherited distinction continues to shape political exclusion and the exercise of power in post-colonial African states, perpetuating authoritarian legacies.

 

Mamdani, Mahmood. Define and Rule: Native as Political Identity. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2012.

• AI Summary: Mamdani elaborates on how colonial powers used the concept of “native” as a political identity to establish and maintain their authoritarian rule, differentiating between populations to facilitate control. He analyzes how this administrative strategy created and reinforced ethnic divisions, which subsequently became embedded in post-colonial states, often contributing to new forms of authoritarian governance and conflict.

 

Mamdani, Mahmood. When Victims Become Killers: Colonialism, Nativism, and the Genocide in Rwanda. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2001.

• AI Summary: In this profound analysis, Mamdani connects the Rwandan genocide to the authoritarian administrative structures and identity politics imposed by colonial rule. He demonstrates how the colonial “define and rule” strategy created rigid ethnic categories, which, when combined with a post-colonial authoritarian state, facilitated the mobilization of populations towards violence, illustrating the devastating impact of inherited colonial authoritarianism.

 

Marasco, Robyn. “Reconsidering the Sexual Politics of Fascism.” Political Theory 48, no. 6 (2020): 692-717.

• AI Summary: Marasco re-examines the often-overlooked sexual dimensions of fascist ideology and practice, moving beyond simplistic understandings of its gender politics. She explores how fascism, as an authoritarian movement, shaped and was shaped by specific notions of masculinity and femininity, family structures, and sexual control, revealing how these aspects were integral to its broader project of power and social order.

 

McManus, Matthew. The Political Right and Equality: Turning Back the Tide of Egalitarian Modernity. New York: Routledge, 2021.

• AI Summary: McManus examines how various factions of the political right have historically and contemporarily resisted egalitarianism, a stance that often underpins authoritarian tendencies. He explores how their philosophical arguments and political actions aim to preserve or re-establish hierarchical social orders, which can lead to calls for stronger state control and the suppression of individual liberties in the name of tradition or order.

 

Memmi, Albert. Decolonization and the Decolonized. Translated by Bob Cummings. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2006.

• AI Summary: This work examines the complex process of decolonization and its aftermath for those who lived under colonial rule. Memmi discusses how the legacy of colonial authoritarianism often lingers, influencing new forms of power dynamics and struggles for self-determination. It addresses the challenges faced by newly independent states in overcoming ingrained structures of control and forging a truly liberated society.

 

Memmi, Albert. The Colonizer and the Colonized. Translated by Howard Greenfeld. Boston: Beacon Press, 1967.

• AI Summary: Memmi’s seminal work deeply explores the psychological and social dynamics between the colonizer and the colonized, illustrating how the colonial system inherently creates an authoritarian power structure. It highlights how this relationship relies on the dehumanization of the colonized and the assertion of absolute control by the colonizer, establishing a framework of domination that suppresses native identity and agency.

 

Memmi, Albert, Thomas Cassirer, and G. Michael Twomey. “The Impossible Life of Frantz Fanon.” The Massachusetts Review 14, no. 1 (1973): 9-39.

• AI Summary: This article provides insight into the life and thought of Frantz Fanon, a key theorist of liberation from colonial oppression, whose work often analyzed the violent and authoritarian nature of colonialism. By exploring Fanon’s experiences and ideas, the piece indirectly touches upon how oppressive colonial systems necessitated a radical response, highlighting the inherently authoritarian character of colonial rule that Fanon sought to dismantle.

 

Moon, Ruth. Authoritarian Journalism: Controlling the News in Post-Conflict Rwanda. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2023.

• AI Summary: This book provides a contemporary case study of how authoritarian regimes control information, focusing specifically on journalism in post-conflict Rwanda. Moon investigates the mechanisms by which the state manipulates news narratives, suppresses dissent, and instrumentalizes media to consolidate power, offering a detailed look at the methods and impact of authoritarian control over the press in a modern context.

 

Mussolini, Benito, and Giovanni Gentile. The Doctrine of Fascism. Originally published in Enciclopedia Italiana, 1932.

• AI Summary: This work, largely attributed to Mussolini, articulates the core tenets of Fascism, emphasizing the absolute primacy of the state, the subordination of the individual to the collective, and the necessity of a charismatic, authoritarian leader. It explicitly rejects liberal democracy, socialism, and individualism, advocating for a totalitarian state that controls all aspects of life to achieve national strength and unity.

 

Parker, Christopher S. and Tolwer, Christopher C. “Race and Authoritarianism in American Politics.” Annual Review of Political Science 29 (2019). doi:10.1146/annurev-polisci-050317-064519

• AI Summary: This article examines the enduring relationship between race and authoritarian attitudes within the American political context. It explores how racial anxieties and perceptions can fuel support for authoritarian leaders and policies, demonstrating that authoritarianism is not solely a feature of non-democratic states but also a significant underlying current influencing political behavior and preferences within a democratic system.

 

Robinson, Cedric J. “Fascism and the Response of Black Radical Theorists.” Race & Class 49, no. 2 (2007): 39-52. (Originally published in 1982 in Black Marxism: The Making of the Black Radical Tradition).

• AI Summary: Robinson’s work here examines how Black radical theorists critically engaged with and responded to the rise of fascism, analyzing its racist and authoritarian dimensions. It highlights how these thinkers understood fascism not merely as a European phenomenon but as an expression of systemic oppression, offering insights into how authoritarian ideologies intersect with racial power structures.

 

Schmitt, Carl. The Concept of the Political. Translated by George Schwab. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1996. (Original German publication 1932).

• AI Summary: Schmitt’s The Concept of the Political posits that the essence of politics lies in the distinction between friend and enemy, and that a true political order requires the sovereign’s ability to decide on this ultimate distinction, including the power to declare a state of exception. This framework provides a theoretical basis for a strong, decisive, and potentially authoritarian state that can override legal norms in times of crisis to protect its existence.

 

Schmitt, Carl. The Crisis of Parliamentary Democracy. Translated by Ellen Kennedy. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1988. (Original German publication 1923).

• AI Summary: In The Crisis of Parliamentary Democracy, Schmitt critiques the foundational principles of liberal parliamentarism, arguing that its reliance on open debate and compromise renders it ineffective in addressing fundamental political conflicts. He suggests that genuine political decision-making requires a more decisive and unified authority, laying intellectual groundwork for a move beyond democratic processes toward more authoritarian forms of governance.

 

Schmitt, Carl. Political Theology: Four Chapters on the Concept of Sovereignty. Translated by George Schwab. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1985. (Original German publication 1922).

• AI Summary: Schmitt’s Political Theology explores the origins of modern political concepts, arguing that fundamental ideas like sovereignty derive from theological concepts, particularly the idea of a transcendent God who can suspend the law. He posits that the sovereign’s power to declare a “state of exception” and act outside the law is the essence of sovereignty, providing a theological-legal justification for potentially authoritarian rule.

 

Sedgwick, Mark, ed. Key Thinkers of the Radical Right: Behind the New Threat to Liberal Democracy. New York: Oxford University Press, 2019.

• AI Summary: This edited volume surveys the intellectual lineage of the radical right, often exploring thinkers whose ideas have contributed to or justified authoritarian or anti-democratic movements. By analyzing the core tenets of these diverse figures, the book illuminates the ideological underpinnings that frequently lead to calls for strong leadership, exclusionary politics, and the suppression of liberal democratic institutions.

 

Snyder, Timothy. On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the 20th Century. New York: Crown, 2017.

• AI Summary: Snyder’s concise work draws lessons from 20th-century authoritarian and totalitarian regimes to offer warnings about the fragility of democracy and the rise of tyranny in the present day. He identifies specific historical patterns and behaviors that lead to authoritarianism, providing practical guidance for citizens to recognize and resist its emergence in their own societies.

 

Sonnevend, Julia, and Veronika Kövesdi. 2023. “More Than Just a Strongman: The Strategic Construction of Victor Orbán’s Charismatic Authority on Facebook.” The International Journal of Press/Politics 29 (4): 891–918. https://doi.org/10.1177/19401612231179120

• AI Summary: This article analyzes how Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán strategically uses Facebook to cultivate an image of charismatic authority, moving beyond simple strongman rhetoric to consolidate his authoritarian rule. It highlights the role of social media in modern authoritarianism, showing how digital platforms can be leveraged to build cults of personality and maintain power through sophisticated communication strategies.

 

Svolik, Milan. The Politics of Authoritarian Rule. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2012.

• AI Summary: Svolik’s book provides a rigorous theoretical and empirical analysis of the fundamental political challenges faced by authoritarian regimes, particularly regarding power-sharing and political control. It explores why authoritarian leaders choose specific institutions and how they manage threats from within the elite and from the populace, offering insights into the stability and durability of different forms of authoritarian rule.

 

Taylor, Astra. “Traitors to the Earth: Fascism, Christian Nationalism, and the Tech Elite.” The Nation, October 24, 2023.

• AI Summary: This article connects the rise of fascism and Christian nationalism to the ideologies and actions of certain tech elites, particularly concerning their approaches to environmental issues and societal control. Taylor argues that a desire for authoritarian solutions and a hierarchical world order underpins these seemingly disparate phenomena, highlighting how tech power can align with antidemocratic movements.

 

Treisman, Daniel. “How Great Is the Current Danger to Democracy? Assessing the Risk with Historical Data.” Comparative Political Studies 56, no. 12 (2023): 1924-1952.

• AI Summary: Treisman’s article evaluates the contemporary threat to democracy by comparing current trends with historical patterns of democratic decline and authoritarian emergence. Using empirical data, he assesses whether present-day conditions truly represent an unprecedented danger or fall within historical norms, offering a data-driven perspective on the likelihood of democratic backsliding and the rise of authoritarianism.

 

Wintrobe, Ronald. The Political Economy of Dictatorship. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000.

• AI Summary: Wintrobe’s book analyzes dictatorship through an economic lens, arguing that authoritarian regimes face unique dilemmas in balancing repression and loyalty to maintain power. He develops a model where dictators must decide how much to spend on controlling the population versus rewarding loyal elites, providing a framework for understanding the internal logic and stability of various authoritarian systems.

 

Wolin, Sheldon S. Democracy Incorporated: Managed Democracy and the Specter of Inverted Totalitarianism. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2008.

• AI Summary: Wolin introduces the concept of “inverted totalitarianism,” arguing that contemporary American democracy has evolved into a system where corporate power and a managed political process create a form of totalitarianism that is subtle and depoliticizing, rather than overtly repressive. This theory suggests a pathway to authoritarianism that operates within the guise of democratic institutions, eroding citizen participation and accountability.

 

Wolf, Anne, ed. The Oxford Handbook of Authoritarian Politics. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2020.

• AI Summary: This comprehensive handbook offers a broad overview of authoritarian politics, bringing together diverse scholarly perspectives on the nature, dynamics, and challenges of non-democratic regimes. It covers various aspects of authoritarian rule, including their institutions, strategies of survival, and the impact on society, providing a robust resource for understanding the complexities of contemporary authoritarianism.

 

The Zetkin Collective and Andreas Malm. White Skin, Black Fuel: On the Danger of Fossil Fascism. London: Verso, 2021.

• AI Summary: This work argues that the intertwining of racial ideologies, fossil fuel interests, and right-wing political movements poses a severe threat, coining the term “fossil fascism.” It suggests that the defense of carbon-intensive industries and associated lifestyles can lead to increasingly authoritarian and exclusionary politics, highlighting a dangerous convergence of climate denial, white nationalism, and antidemocratic tendencies. Recent Work in Political Theory That Sheds Light on Authoritarianism

 

Anker, Elisabeth. Ugly Freedoms. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2022.

• AI Summary: Anker examines how certain concepts of “freedom” in contemporary politics, particularly on the right, have become intertwined with exclusionary and even cruel practices. She reveals how these “ugly freedoms” can reinforce hierarchical power structures and enable authoritarian tendencies by normalizing indifference or hostility towards marginalized groups, often under the guise of individual liberty.

 

Beltrán, Cristina. Cruelty as Citizenship: How Migrant Suffering Sustains White Democracy. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2020.

• AI Summary: Beltrán argues that the public performance and consumption of migrant suffering are not merely regrettable byproducts but central to the maintenance of “white democracy.” She demonstrates how the state’s capacity to inflict and display cruelty against migrants reinforces national boundaries and the power of dominant groups, operating as a mechanism of authoritarian control and exclusion.

 

Butler, Judith. Who’s Afraid of Gender?. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2024.

• AI Summary: Butler explores the global backlash against “gender ideology,” analyzing it as a cultural and political phenomenon that seeks to reassert traditional hierarchies and suppress diverse identities. This work examines how the fear of gender diversity is leveraged by conservative and authoritarian movements to centralize control over bodies, sexuality, and social norms, thereby reinforcing patriarchal and heteronormative power structures.

 

Feola, Michael. Rage of Replacement: Far-Right Politics and Demographic Fear. New York: Oxford University Press, 2024.

• AI Summary: Feola investigates the concept of “demographic fear” and its role in fueling far-right politics globally, particularly the “great replacement” theory. He argues that this fear of demographic change serves as a powerful motivator for authoritarian movements, justifying exclusionary policies and xenophobic rhetoric aimed at maintaining perceived racial and cultural homogeneity.

 

Robin, Corey. The Reactionary Mind: Conservatism from Edmund Burke to Sarah Palin. New York: Oxford University Press, 2011.

• AI Summary: Robin argues that conservatism is fundamentally a reaction against liberation movements, seeking to restore or defend existing forms of hierarchy and power against challenges from below. He shows how conservative thought, across different eras, consistently aims to reassert the authority of dominant groups, often employing mechanisms that underpin authoritarian control to maintain social order.

 

Singh, Nikhil Pal. Race and America’s Long War. Oakland, CA: University of California Press, 2017.

• AI Summary: Singh examines the interconnected histories of racial formation, imperial expansion, and the “war on terror” in the United States, arguing that they constitute a continuous “long war” against internal and external enemies. He reveals how mechanisms of racialized state violence and surveillance, developed over centuries, reinforce an enduring and often authoritarian power structure that targets specific populations.

 

Slobodian, Quinn. Hayek’s Bastards: The Populist Right and the Battle for the Free Market. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2023.

• AI Summary: Slobodian traces the intellectual lineage of the populist right’s relationship with the “free market,” arguing that contemporary movements draw on illiberal traditions within neoliberal thought. He suggests that certain strands of free-market ideology, exemplified by thinkers like Hayek, inherently contain anti-democratic elements that can be mobilized to justify authoritarian economic and political interventions.

 

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French Continental Thought

 

Althusser, Louis. On the Reproduction of Capitalism: Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses. Translated by G.M. Goshgarian. London: Verso, 2014. *

• AI Summary: This work explains how capitalist societies, and by extension potentially authoritarian states, maintain power through “Ideological State Apparatuses” (ISAs) like education and religion. These ISAs subtly indoctrinate individuals into accepting dominant ideologies, thereby reproducing the conditions for the continuation of existing power structures without overt force.

 

Bataille, Georges. The Accursed Share, Vol. 1: Consumption. Translated by Robert Hurley. New York: Zone Books, 1988. *

• AI Summary: Bataille’s concept of a “general economy” posits that societies deal with an excess of energy that must be spent, either productively or non-productively. Authoritarian regimes can be seen as attempting to channel this excess into productive, controlled forms or into destructive, sacrificial acts that reinforce their power and suppress other modes of expenditure.

 

Bataille, Georges. Visions of Excess: Selected Writings, 1927-1939. Edited by Allan Stoekl. Translated by Allan Stoekl, Carl R. Lovitt, and Donald M. Leslie Jr. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1985. *

• AI Summary: This collection explores themes of transgression, sovereignty, and the sacred, which challenge conventional rational order. Authoritarian power often attempts to suppress or co-opt such transgressive forces, while Bataille suggests that true sovereignty lies in an experience of limit and excess beyond rational control.

 

Baudrillard, Jean. For a Critique of the Political Economy of the Sign. Translated by Charles Levin. St. Louis, MO: Telos Press, 1981. *

• AI Summary: Baudrillard analyzes how signs and symbols function in society, moving beyond their communicative aspect to their role in systems of power and value. This work demonstrates how authoritarian or consumerist systems gain power by controlling the production and circulation of signs, shaping desires and perceptions.

 

Baudrillard, Jean. Simulacra and Simulation. Translated by Sheila Faria Glaser. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1994. *

• AI Summary: Baudrillard argues that in hyperreal societies, the distinction between reality and its representation collapses, leading to “simulacra” that precede the real. This condition can be exploited by authoritarian powers that operate through the construction of artificial realities, making it difficult to discern truth and effectively control populations through mediated experience.

 

Bourdieu, Pierre. Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judgement of Taste. Translated by Richard Nice. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1984. *

• AI Summary: Bourdieu reveals how social hierarchies and power relations are reproduced and legitimized through cultural taste and lifestyle choices. Authoritarian systems can reinforce their power by imposing specific cultural norms and delegitimizing dissenting “tastes” or “habitus,” thereby perpetuating social domination through symbolic violence.

 

Bourdieu, Pierre. Outline of a Theory of Practice. Translated by Richard Nice. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1977. *

• AI Summary: This book introduces key concepts like habitus and field, explaining how individuals’ dispositions are shaped by their social environment. Power operates through these structured social fields, subtly influencing individual actions and perceptions to maintain existing social orders, which can underpin authoritarian control.

 

Deleuze, Gilles, and Félix Guattari. Anti-Oedipus: Capitalism and Schizophrenia. Translated by Robert Hurley, Mark Seem, and Helen R. Lane. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1983. *

• AI Summary: This work critiques how desire is repressed and channeled by societal structures, particularly capitalism and the family (Oedipus), leading to neuroses and conformity. It argues that political power, including authoritarianism, functions by “coding” and “territorializing” desire, preventing its free flow and reinforcing oppressive social forms.

 

Deleuze, Gilles, and Félix Guattari. A Thousand Plateaus: Capitalism and Schizophrenia. Translated by Brian Massumi. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1987. *

• AI Summary: Continuing their critique of traditional power structures, Deleuze and Guattari introduce concepts like “rhizomes,” “smooth and striated space,” and “war machines.” They analyze how various forms of power (state, disciplinary) attempt to “striate” and control flows of desire and creativity, while “rhizomatic” forms of resistance offer potential ways to subvert authoritarian tendencies.

 

Derrida, Jacques. Of Grammatology. Translated by Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1976. *

• AI Summary: Derrida’s deconstruction challenges logocentrism and the idea of a fixed, foundational meaning, arguing that meaning is always deferred and unstable. By exposing the inherent instability of language and established concepts, deconstruction implicitly undermines the claims to absolute truth and authority often wielded by authoritarian regimes.

 

Foucault, Michel. Abnormal: Lectures at the Collège de France, 1974–1975. Edited by Valerio Marchetti and Antonella Salomoni. Translated by Graham Burchell. New York: Picador, 2003. *

• AI Summary: These lectures explore the historical construction of categories like the “abnormal,” the “monster,” and the “delinquent,” and the power mechanisms used to identify and control such individuals. Foucault demonstrates how defining and managing abnormality is a key strategy for social control and maintaining the norms enforced by power.

 

Foucault, Michel. The Birth of Biopolitics: Lectures at the Collège de France, 1978–1979. Edited by Michel Senellart. Translated by Graham Burchell. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2008. *

• AI Summary: Foucault examines the emergence of liberalism and neoliberalism as forms of governmentality that manage populations through economic rationalities rather than direct coercion. He shows how economic freedom becomes a tool for governmental control, subtly guiding individual conduct in ways that reinforce specific power structures.

 

Foucault, Michel. Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison. Translated by Alan Sheridan. New York: Vintage Books, 1977. *

• AI Summary: This seminal work analyzes the shift from spectacle punishment to disciplinary power, exemplified by the prison and institutions like schools and factories. Foucault argues that modern power operates by observing, normalizing, and individualizing subjects, leading to self-regulation that is more pervasive and subtle than overt authoritarian repression.

 

Foucault, Michel. Ethics, Subjectivity and Truth: Essential Works of Foucault, 1954-1984, Vol. 1. Edited by Paul Rabinow. New York: The New Press, 1997. *

• AI Summary: This collection includes “The Subject and Power,” where Foucault clarifies his analytical framework for understanding power as a complex set of relations rather than a possession. He emphasizes that power is not just repressive but productive, shaping subjects and allowing for both domination and resistance, crucial for understanding how authoritarian systems function.

 

Foucault, Michel. The History of Sexuality, Vol. 1: An Introduction. Translated by Robert Hurley. New York: Vintage Books, 1978. *

• AI Summary: Foucault challenges the “repressive hypothesis” of sexuality, arguing that power doesn’t merely forbid but actively produces discourses and categories of sexuality. This “biopower” manages life, health, and populations, becoming a core mechanism of control that can be intensified in authoritarian contexts to regulate bodies and desires.

 

Foucault, Michel. Madness and Civilization: A History of Insanity in the Age of Reason. Translated by Richard Howard. New York: Vintage Books, 1988. *

• AI Summary: Foucault traces the historical exclusion and confinement of the “mad,” arguing that madness was not simply discovered but constituted through social practices and institutions. This illustrates how power operates by defining and segregating categories of people, providing a historical precedent for how authoritarian regimes marginalize and control dissenting elements.

 

Foucault, Michel. The Order of Things: An Archaeology of the Human Sciences. New York: Vintage Books, 1994. *

• AI Summary: Foucault explores the historical shifts in “epistemes” or fundamental structures of knowledge that organize how reality is understood. These deep-seated conceptual frameworks implicitly exert power by defining what is knowable and speakable, thereby circumscribing thought and potentially limiting forms of resistance against dominant power structures.

 

Foucault, Michel. Psychiatric Power: Lectures at the Collège de France, 1973–1974. Edited by Jacques Lagrange. Translated by Graham Burchell. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2006. *

• AI Summary: These lectures detail the specific forms of power operating within psychiatric institutions, where medical knowledge and practices become tools for managing and controlling individuals. Foucault reveals how diagnostic categories and therapeutic interventions function as disciplinary mechanisms that exert profound power over subjects’ lives and identities.

 

Foucault, Michel. The Punitive Society: Lectures at the Collège de France, 1972–1973. Edited by Bernard E. Harcourt. Translated by Graham Burchell. New York: Picador, 2015. *

• AI Summary: This lecture series delves into the emergence of the prison and the broader carceral system, showing how it functions beyond mere punishment to reshape individuals and society. Foucault explores the historical development of disciplinary power that seeks to normalize and control through constant surveillance and systematic organization, forming a core aspect of state power.

 

Foucault, Michel. Security, Territory, Population: Lectures at the Collège de France, 1977–1978. Edited by Michel Senellart. Translated by Graham Burchell. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2007. *

• AI Summary: Foucault introduces the concept of “governmentality,” analyzing the historical forms of reason of state and police that manage populations, territories, and security. He demonstrates how political power shifts from sovereign control over individuals to the management of collective life, creating frameworks that can be adapted for authoritarian rule.

 

Foucault, Michel. “Society Must Be Defended”: Lectures at the Collège de France, 1975–1976. Edited by Mauro Bertani and Alessandro Fontana. Translated by David Macey. New York: Picador, 2003. *

• AI Summary: In these lectures, Foucault posits that power relations are fundamentally about warfare, where society is defended against internal and external “enemies.” He develops the concept of biopower, showing how modern states exert power over life itself, regulating populations and reinforcing social norms in ways that can be intensified under authoritarianism.

 

Kristeva, Julia. Powers of Horror: An Essay on Abjection. Translated by Leon S. Roudiez. New York: Columbia University Press, 1982. *

• AI Summary: Kristeva explores the “abject” as that which threatens societal order and identity, something that must be expelled to maintain social boundaries. Authoritarian regimes often rely on the creation and expulsion of an “abject other” (e.g., ethnic minorities, political dissidents) to consolidate their power and enforce conformity.

 

Kristeva, Julia. Revolution in Poetic Language. Translated by Margaret Waller. New York: Columbia University Press, 1984. *

• AI Summary: Kristeva investigates the forces that disrupt the symbolic order of language, arguing that poetic language can challenge established meanings and social norms. Authoritarian power thrives on stable, univocal meaning, and this work implicitly highlights how the disruptive potential of language can undermine such rigid control.

 

Lefort, Claude. The Political Forms of Modern Society: Bureaucracy, Democracy, Totalitarianism. Edited and translated by John B. Thompson. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1986.

• AI Summary: Lefort analyzes totalitarianism as a regime that attempts to eliminate the “empty place” of power, which is characteristic of democracy, by incarnating power in a single party or leader. This results in the complete absorption of civil society by the state and the suppression of all dissent, making it a crucial text for understanding the symbolic nature of totalitarian power.

 

Levinas, Emmanuel. Difficult Freedom: Essays on Judaism. Translated by Seán Hand. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1990. *

• AI Summary: This collection explores the ethical demands of Jewish thought, often presenting a critique of totalizing systems and self-sufficient philosophies. Levinas’s emphasis on responsibility for the “Other” provides a strong ethical counterpoint to any form of authoritarianism that would subjugate or deny the unique individual.

 

Levinas, Emmanuel. Otherwise than Being, or Beyond Essence. Translated by Alphonso Lingis. The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, 1981. *

• AI Summary: Levinas further develops his concept of subjectivity as being fundamentally “for the other,” rooted in an infinite, non-reciprocal ethical responsibility. This philosophy stands in stark opposition to authoritarian thought, which seeks to reduce individuals to categories or subsume them within a collective “essence,” thereby negating their unique ethical claim.

 

Levinas, Emmanuel. Totality and Infinity: An Essay on Exteriority. Translated by Alphonso Lingis. Pittsburgh: Duquesne University Press, 1969. *

• AI Summary: This foundational work critiques the philosophical tradition’s tendency towards “totality,” where difference is absorbed into the same, and the “Other” is comprehended rather than truly encountered. Levinas argues that authoritarianism is a political manifestation of this totalizing impulse, which seeks to eliminate exteriority and suppress the irreducible alterity of individuals.

 

Lyotard, Jean-François. The Differend: Phrases in Dispute. Translated by Georges Van Den Abbeele. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1988. *

• AI Summary: Lyotard introduces the concept of the “differend” as a conflict between two parties that cannot be resolved justly because there is no common rule of judgment applicable to both. This highlights how authoritarian power silences marginalized voices by denying them the linguistic means to articulate their grievances within the dominant framework.

 

Lyotard, Jean-François. The Postmodern Condition: A Report on Knowledge. Translated by Geoff Bennington and Brian Massumi. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1984. *

• AI Summary: Lyotard famously defines postmodernism as “incredulity toward metanarratives,” critiquing the grand, overarching narratives (e.g., of emancipation or progress) that have historically legitimized political power. Authoritarian regimes often rely on such totalizing narratives to justify their rule, and Lyotard’s work undermines the epistemic foundations of such power.

 

Merleau-Ponty, Maurice. Adventures of the Dialectic. Translated by Joseph Bien. Evanston, IL: Northwestern University Press, 1973. *

• AI Summary: Merleau-Ponty critically examines the dialectical thinking found in some Marxist thought, specifically warning against versions that could lead to authoritarian political outcomes. He emphasizes the unpredictable and open-ended nature of history and human action, implicitly rejecting rigid ideological systems that attempt to control social development.

 

Merleau-Ponty, Maurice. Phenomenology of Perception. Translated by Colin Smith. London: Routledge, 2002. *

• AI Summary: Merleau-Ponty’s focus on the embodied subject and the “flesh of the world” emphasizes the irreducible complexity and ambiguity of human experience. This phenomenological perspective implicitly critiques any authoritarian system that seeks to impose a rigid, abstract order over lived reality, denying individual experience and embodiment.

 

Rancière, Jacques. Disagreement: Politics and Philosophy. Translated by Julie Rose. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1999.

• AI Summary: Rancière distinguishes between “police” (the order of domination that distributes who can speak and be seen) and “politics” (the disruptive act of challenging that order). Authoritarianism is the extreme manifestation of the “police” order, suppressing dissent by denying the very capacity of certain groups to participate in the political sphere.

 

Rancière, Jacques. Hatred of Democracy. Translated by Steve Corcoran. London: Verso, 2006.

• AI Summary: This work analyzes the contemporary disdain for democracy, often stemming from a misunderstanding of its nature as an unruly and potentially disorderly process. Rancière implicitly counters authoritarian tendencies by defending democracy as a continuous process of challenging established hierarchies and empowering those who are normally excluded from power. Recommended Africana Thought

 

Achebe, Chinua. A Man of the People. London: Heinemann, 1966.

• AI Summary: This novel satirizes post-colonial African politics, highlighting how corruption and self-interest among leaders can undermine democratic processes. It illustrates the gradual slide into a new form of authoritarianism as power becomes concentrated and unaccountable, often betraying the hopes of independence.

 

Armah, Ayi Kwei. The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born. London: Heinemann, 1968.

• AI Summary: This novel depicts the widespread corruption and moral disillusionment in post-independence Ghana, revealing how the dreams of national liberation can be undermined by systemic graft. It implicitly comments on the failure to establish genuinely equitable governance, leading to a form of societal decay that can pave the way for or characterize authoritarian rule.

 

Baldwin, James. Notes of a Native Son. Boston: Beacon Press, 1955.

• AI Summary: Baldwin’s essays delve into the profound psychological and social impacts of racism in America, exposing the systemic injustices faced by Black individuals. He critiques the deeply ingrained oppressive structures that maintain racial hierarchies, which function as a pervasive and dehumanizing mechanism of power akin to authoritarian control.

 

Biko, Steve. I Write What I Like: Selected Writings. Edited by Aelred Stubbs. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2002.

• AI Summary: This collection articulates Steve Biko’s philosophy of Black Consciousness, advocating for psychological and political liberation from the white supremacist apartheid regime in South Africa. Biko’s work directly challenges the authoritarian state’s efforts to control Black minds and bodies, promoting self-reliance as a powerful form of resistance.

 

Césaire, Suzanne. The Great Camouflage: Writings of Dissent (1941-1945). Edited by Daniel Maximin, translated by Keith L. Walker. Middletown, CT: Wesleyan University Press, 2012.

• AI Summary: This collection features Suzanne Césaire’s anti-colonial and anti-fascist writings, articulating resistance through surrealist aesthetics during wartime. Her essays challenge the oppressive nature of both overt political authoritarianism and the more insidious forms of colonial intellectual control.

 

Collins, Patricia Hill. Black Feminist Thought: Knowledge, Consciousness, and the Politics of Empowerment. New York: Routledge, 2022.

• AI Summary: Collins’s foundational work uses Black women’s experiences to illuminate how power operates through intersecting systems of oppression (race, gender, class). It provides a critical framework for analyzing how these interwoven structures create and maintain hierarchical and authoritarian social controls.

 

Crenshaw, Kimberle. “Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex: A Black Feminist Critique of Antidiscrimination Doctrine, Feminist Theory and Antiracist Politics.” University of Chicago Legal Forum 1 (1989): 139–67.

• AI Summary: Crenshaw’s article introduces “intersectionality” to highlight how legal and theoretical frameworks often fail to address the compounded discrimination faced by Black women. This reveals how multiple, overlapping mechanisms of power intensify marginalization, reinforcing a more complex and pervasive system of oppression than simple single-axis analyses might capture.

 

Dangarembga, Tsitsi. Black and Female: Essays. New York: Graywolf Press, 2022.

• AI Summary: Dangarembga’s essays explore the complex realities of being Black and female in postcolonial and global contexts, critiquing the enduring legacies of colonialism, racism, and patriarchy. Her work illuminates how these intersecting systems of power maintain conditions of oppression, often mirroring or sustaining authoritarian social dynamics that limit freedom and self-determination

 

Davies, Carole Boyce. Left of Karl Marx: The Political Life of Black Communist Claudia Jones. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2007.

• AI Summary: Davies’s biography details the political life of Claudia Jones, a prominent Black communist and feminist activist who fought against racial, gender, and class oppression. The book illustrates how radical political engagement challenged intertwined systems of authoritarian control in the US and UK during the 20th century.

 

Davis, Angela Yvonne, ed. If They Come in the Morning: Voices of Resistance. New York: Vintage Books, 1971.

• AI Summary: Davis curates essays and firsthand accounts reflecting on political repression, prisons, and radical resistance—a lens through which authortarian and fascist state mechanisms (e.g., mass arrests, criminalization of dissent) are examined in the U.S.

 

Davis, Angela Yvonne. Women, Race and Class. New York: Random House, 1981.

• AI Summary: Taking a Marxist‑feminist historical lens, this collection of essays dissects how capitalist, racist, and patriarchal power structures intertwine—providing a foundational critique of authoritarian ideology embedded in social institutions.

 

Douglas, Frederick. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, Written by Himself. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2004. (Originally published 1845).

• AI Summary: Douglass’s autobiography is a firsthand account of the brutal realities of slavery, unequivocally exposing its inherent authoritarian and dehumanizing nature. It details the mechanisms of absolute control used by enslavers and chronicles his personal struggle for liberation, serving as a powerful testament to resistance against extreme oppression.

 

Du Bois, W. E. B. The Souls of Black Folk. New York: Dover Publications, 1994. (Originally published 1903).

• AI Summary: Du Bois’s seminal work introduces “double consciousness,” highlighting the internal conflict of Black Americans living under systemic racism. He critiques the social and political structures that perpetuate racial oppression, revealing how these mechanisms function as an insidious form of authoritarian control over Black lives and identities.

 

Fanon, Frantz. Black Skin, White Masks. Translated by Charles Lam Markmann. London: Paladin, 1970. (Originally published 1952).

• AI Summary: Fanon explores the profound psychological impact of colonialism and racism on the colonized individual, dissecting how internalized oppression and the gaze of the colonizer distort self-perception. He argues for a psychological liberation from these authoritarian mental structures as a crucial step towards true decolonization.

 

Fanon, Frantz. The Wretched of the Earth. Translated by Constance Farrington. New York: Grove Press, 1963. (Originally published 1961).

• AI Summary: Fanon analyzes the psychology of colonial oppression and advocates for revolutionary violence as a cathartic and necessary act for the colonized to reclaim their humanity. He also critically examines the pitfalls of post-colonial leadership, warning against the potential for new forms of authoritarianism to emerge if true liberation is not achieved.

 

Gqola, Pumla Dineo. Rape: A South African Nightmare. Johannesburg: MF Books, 2015.

• AI Summary: Gqola examines rape in post-apartheid South Africa as a systemic issue, not just individual acts, rooted in historical violence and patriarchy. Her work highlights how gendered violence operates as a mechanism of control, revealing the persistence of authoritarian power dynamics within society even after formal political transitions.

 

Hall, Stuart. Essential Essays: Foundations of Cultural Studies, vol. 1. Edited by David Morley. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2018.

• AI Summary: Stuart Hall’s essays provide foundational analyses of power, representation, and ideology within cultural studies. His work offers critical tools for understanding how dominant cultural narratives and media representations contribute to social control and can implicitly reinforce or legitimate authoritarian systems.

 

Hare, Nathan. “Black Ecology.” The Black Scholar 1, no. 6 (1970): 2-8.

• AI Summary: Hare introduces “Black ecology,” arguing for the interconnectedness of environmental degradation and racial oppression. He highlights how marginalized Black communities disproportionately suffer from ecological injustices, linking environmental exploitation to systemic power imbalances and an authoritarian disregard for the well-being of specific populations.

 

Hartman, Saidiya. Scenes of Subjection: Terror, Slavery, and Self-Making in Nineteenth-Century America. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2022. (Originally published 1997).

• AI Summary: Hartman’s work meticulously examines the terror and violence inherent in American slavery, revealing it as an extreme authoritarian system designed to control Black bodies and minds. She explores the daily practices of power that shaped enslaved individuals’ lives, while also acknowledging their acts of resistance and self-creation within this oppressive framework.

 

Jackson, George. Blood in My Eye. Baltimore: Penguin Books, 1975.

• AI Summary: Written from prison, this work offers George Jackson’s radical critique of the American carceral system, capitalism, and racism, advocating for revolutionary change. The book powerfully exposes the state’s authoritarian tactics used to suppress Black liberation movements and highlights the inherent violence of systems of oppression.

 

Jacobs, Harriet A. Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl: Written by Herself. Edited by Jean Fagan Yellin. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2009. (Originally published 1861).

• AI Summary: This autobiography provides a vital account of slavery from a Black woman’s perspective, emphasizing the unique forms of sexual violence and control endured by enslaved women. It powerfully illustrates the absolute and often gendered authoritarian power wielded by slaveholders, and the desperate struggle for autonomy and freedom.

 

James, C. L. R. The Black Jacobins: Toussaint L’Ouverture and the San Domingo Revolution. New York: Vintage Books, 1989. (Originally published 1938).

• AI Summary: James’s historical account details the Haitian Revolution, demonstrating how enslaved people successfully overthrew the brutal authoritarianism of the French colonial and slave system. The book underscores the agency of the oppressed in dismantling entrenched power structures and achieving self-liberation.

 

Kraidy, Marwan M. The Naked Blogger of Cairo: Creative Insurgency in the Arab World. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2016.

• AI Summary: Kraidy examines how digital media and creative expression became tools of resistance against authoritarian regimes during the Arab Spring. The book highlights the ongoing tension between state control and citizens’ innovative strategies to challenge power and disseminate dissent in oppressive contexts.

 

Lorde, Audre. “The Uses of Anger: Women Responding to Racism.” Women’s Studies Quarterly 25, no. 1/2 (1997): 278-285. (Originally a speech from 1981).

• AI Summary: Lorde’s essay argues for anger as a legitimate and necessary response to racism and other forms of oppression, rather than a negative emotion to be suppressed. She asserts that transforming anger into a catalyst for change is vital for challenging systemic injustices and resisting authoritarian power structures.

 

Mamdani, Mahmood. Citizen and Subject: Contemporary Africa and the Legacy of Late Colonialism. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2018. (Originally published 1996).

• AI Summary: Mamdani argues that late colonialism created a dual system of rule in Africa, distinguishing “citizens” from “subjects” and thereby laying the groundwork for post-colonial authoritarianism. He shows how this inherited distinction facilitated political exclusion and continues to shape the exercise of power in African states.

 

Mandela, Nelson. Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela. New York: Back Bay Books, 1994.

• AI Summary: Mandela’s autobiography chronicles his lifelong struggle against the apartheid regime, a profoundly authoritarian and racist system in South Africa. It details his imprisonment and leadership in the fight for liberation, serving as a powerful testament to sustained resistance against state-sanctioned oppression and the pursuit of a democratic society.

 

Mbembe, Achille. On the Postcolony. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2001.

• AI Summary: Mbembe critically analyzes the nature of power, sovereignty, and subjectivity in postcolonial Africa, moving beyond simplistic narratives of liberation. He explores how new forms of power can mimic or adapt colonial authoritarian practices, examining the complex realities of governance and resistance in states grappling with their historical legacies.

 

Mbembe, Achille. Out of the Dark Night: Essays on Decolonization. Translated by A. F. Sykas. New York: Columbia University Press, 2020.

• AI Summary: Mbembe’s essays deepen his exploration of decolonization, examining the continued relevance of colonial power structures in contemporary global arrangements. He critiques the persistent forms of subjugation and the challenges of achieving genuine liberation from systems that operate with an authoritarian logic, even after formal independence.

 

Mbembe, Achille. Critique of Black Reason. Translated by Laurent Dubois. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2017.

• AI Summary: Mbembe critically analyzes the concept of “Black Reason” as a construct born from the history of slavery and colonialism, shaping both the perception and experience of Blackness. He interrogates how this “reason” functions as a mechanism of power, defining and controlling Black subjectivity within global capitalist and racialized systems that exhibit authoritarian characteristics.

 

Mills, Charles W. “White Ignorance.” In Race and Epistemologies of Ignorance, edited by Shannon Sullivan and Nancy Tuana, 26–31. Albany: State University of New York Press, 2007.

• AI Summary: Mills introduces “white ignorance,” arguing that racial oppression is sustained not only by overt prejudice but also by systematic non-knowing and wilful disregard within dominant white society regarding the realities of racial injustice. This intellectual mechanism serves to perpetuate racial hierarchy and obscure the workings of power, thereby maintaining a subtle form of authoritarian racial control.

 

Newton, Huey P. Revolutionary Suicide. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1973.

• AI Summary: Written from prison, this work offers George Jackson’s radical critique of the American carceral system, capitalism, and racism, advocating for revolutionary change. The book powerfully exposes the state’s authoritarian tactics used to suppress Black liberation movements and highlights the inherent violence of systems of oppression. Ngugi wa Thiong’o. Decolonizing the Mind: The Politics of Language in African Literature. Nairobi: Heinemann Kenya, 1986. AI Summary: Ngugi argues that true decolonization requires liberation from the linguistic and cultural imperialism imposed by colonial powers. He critiques how the dominance of European languages perpetuates a form of intellectual and cultural authoritarianism, advocating for the reclamation of indigenous languages as a crucial step towards genuine self-determination.

 

Nyabola, Nanjala. Travelling While Black: Essays Inspired by a Life on the Move. London: Hurst & Company, 2020.

• AI Summary: Nyabola’s essays explore the intersection of race, identity, and global mobility, detailing the experiences of a Black African woman navigating various international spaces. While not explicitly about state authoritarianism, the collection implicitly highlights how systemic racism, border regimes, and societal biases create conditions of restricted freedom and vulnerability that mirror or reinforce authoritarian control over marginalized bodie

 

Odinga, Jaramogi Oginga. Not Yet Uhuru: The Autobiography of Jaramogi Oginga Odinga. London: Heinemann, 1967.

• AI Summary: Odinga’s autobiography recounts his role in Kenya’s independence struggle and his subsequent disillusionment with the post-colonial political landscape. The title, “Not Yet Uhuru” (meaning freedom), reflects his critique of the perceived failures of independent leadership to deliver genuine liberation for the masses, implicitly pointing to the emergence of new forms of power that undermined democratic ideals.

 

Otieno, Wambui Waiyaki. Mau Mau’s Daughter: A Life History. Edited by Cora Ann Presley. Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 1998.

• AI Summary: This life history provides a personal account of a woman’s experience during Kenya’s Mau Mau uprising and its aftermath, offering insight into anti-colonial resistance against British authoritarian rule. It sheds light on the lived realities of struggle, resilience, and the enduring impact of colonial violence and post-independence challenges.

 

Robinson, Cedric J. Black Marxism: The Making of the Black Radical Tradition. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2020. (Originally published 1983).

• AI Summary: Robinson critiques orthodox Marxism and introduces the “Black Radical Tradition,” arguing that Black liberation struggles have a distinct historical and theoretical lineage against racial oppression. His work reveals how systemic racism and colonialism created unique forms of oppression that necessitated specific forms of resistance against authoritarian power structures.

 

Salami, Mina. Sensuous Knowledge: A Black Feminist Approach for Everyone. New York: Amistad, 2020.

• AI Summary: Salami advocates for “sensuous knowledge,” a Black feminist approach that foregrounds intuition and lived experience as crucial ways of knowing that challenge dominant epistemologies. This work critiques the exclusionary and often authoritarian tendencies of conventional knowledge systems, proposing an alternative for understanding power and reality.

 

Saro-Wiwa, Ken. Genocide in Nigeria: The Ogoni Tragedy. Port Harcourt: Saros International Publishers, 1992.

• AI Summary: Saro-Wiwa’s urgent work documents the ecological devastation and human rights abuses suffered by the Ogoni people in Nigeria due to oil extraction, exposing the complicity of the state and multinational corporations. It powerfully illustrates how state power can act with authoritarian brutality to suppress environmental activism and exploit marginalized communities.

 

Sissako, Abderrahmane, director. Timbuktu. Les Films du Fleuve, Arte France Cinéma, 2014. Film.

• AI Summary: This film powerfully depicts the impact of jihadist rule on the inhabitants of Timbuktu, illustrating the brutal and arbitrary nature of religious extremism and authoritarian control. Through its narrative, the film explores the destruction of culture, the suppression of freedoms, and the resilience of humanity in the face of absolute power.

 

Spillers, Hortense J. Black, White, and in Color: Essays on American Literature and Culture. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2003.

• AI Summary: Spillers’s groundbreaking essays analyze the intersections of race, gender, and power in American culture, particularly focusing on the “anatomical inscription” of racial slavery on Black bodies. Her work illuminates how oppressive systems create and enforce categories of identity, revealing the deep-seated authoritarian logic embedded in racial hierarchies.

 

Tamale, Sylvia. Decolonization and Afro-Feminism. Ottawa: Daraja Press, 2020.

• AI Summary: Tamale argues for an Afro-feminist approach to decolonization, emphasizing that true liberation must challenge not only colonial legacies but also patriarchal structures and other internal oppressions within African societies. Her work highlights how these intersecting power dynamics contribute to various forms of authoritarian control, particularly over women’s bodies and lives.

 

Tamale, Sylvia, ed. African Sexualities: A Reader. Oxford: Fahamu Books, 2011.

• AI Summary: This edited collection explores the diverse landscape of African sexualities, challenging Eurocentric norms and addressing the impact of colonialism, religion, and patriarchal structures on sexual expression and identity. The work implicitly critiques the authoritarian control over bodies and desires that often results from the imposition of external moralities or traditional power structures.

 

Tolan-Szkilnik, Paraska. Maghreb Noir: The Militant-Artists of North Africa and the Struggle for a Pan-African, Postcolonial Future. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2023.

• AI Summary: Tolan-Szkilnik’s book explores how militant artists in North Africa used their creative work as a form of resistance against colonial rule and in pursuit of a pan-African, postcolonial future. It illuminates how artistic expression can challenge authoritarian power structures and contribute to movements for liberation and self-determination.

 

Valentine, Desiree. “Technologies of Reproduction: Race, Disability, and Neoliberal Eugenics.” Journal of Philosophy of Disability 1 (2021): 35-55.

• AI Summary: Valentine critically examines how reproductive technologies intersect with race, disability, and neoliberal eugenics, arguing they can perpetuate discriminatory practices rooted in historical and contemporary power imbalances. This article implicitly highlights how state and market forces can exert authoritarian control over bodies and reproductive choices, reinforcing social hierarchies.

 

Vernon, Ayesha. “The Dialectics of Multiple Identities and the Disabled People’s Movement.” Disability & Society 14, no. 4 (1999): 515-520.

• AI Summary: Vernon’s article explores how disabled individuals navigate multiple intersecting identities and how these complex positionalities shape their experiences within the disabled people’s movement. It indirectly touches on how societal norms and power structures, often exclusionary and authoritarian, create barriers and inform strategies for collective resistance against marginalization.

 

Wilderson, Frank B. Afropessimism. New York: Liveright, 2021.

• AI Summary: Wilderson’s Afropessimism posits that Blackness is fundamentally defined by gratuitous violence and an ontological position of slavery that persists beyond historical bondage. This framework offers a radical critique of existing social and political structures, arguing that anti-Black racism is foundational to modern society, implying a pervasive and fundamental authoritarianism against Black life.

 

Wynter, Sylvia. Black Metamorphosis: New Natives in a New World. Unpublished manuscript, IBW Papers, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, New York.

• AI Summary: Wynter’s extensive unpublished work explores the historical and philosophical transformations of Black identity, critiquing Western humanism and its exclusionary categories. Her theory analyzes how various systems of knowledge and power have created and maintained a subordinate status for Black people, providing a foundational critique of deeply embedded authoritarian modes of thought and societal organization.