How counter-critique problematises power: on the ‘tyranny’ of ideas
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Date
2026-04-21
Authors
Boland, T.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Taylor & Francis Group
Published Version
Abstract
Drawing on a corpus of books by conservative, right-wing or reactionary authors–together termed ‘counter-critics’–this article examines how they represent their opponents’ ideas as ‘tyranny’, as ‘authoritarian’ or even ‘totalitarian’. Rather than offering a theoretical account of ‘power’, the approach here follows a Foucauldian approach to ‘problematisation’, examining how ‘power’ is represented in discourse. Beyond tracing how counter-critics denounce their opponents as ‘tyrannical’, what emerges here is how a special power is attributed to words and ideas, both to enchant people with ideology and to dispel such delusions. Finally, this article offers reflexive considerations concerning the practice of critique. © 2026 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
Description
Keywords
Critique , Discourse , Foucault , Ideology , Power , [SocietyPoliticsEthics]
Citation
Boland, T.( 2026) 'How counter-critique problematises power: on the ‘tyranny’ of ideas', Journal of Political Power, pp. 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1080/2158379X.2026.2656877