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
Routledge
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.
Description
Keywords
Critique , Discourse , Foucault , Ideology , Power , [SocietyPoliticsEthics] , ideology , power , discourse
Citation
Boland, T 2026, 'How counter-critique problematises power: on the ‘tyranny’ of ideas', Journal of Political Power, vol. 19, no. 2, pp. 366-382. https://doi.org/10.1080/2158379X.2026.2656877