Authoritarianism
Authoritarianism is a form of government characterised by strong central power and limited political freedoms. Political scientists have spent considerable energy on creating typologies of authoritarian regimes. However, political psychologists have also identified authoritarian dynamics at the micro level. Specifically, we can analyse authoritarian personality characteristics that precipitate authoritarian political behaviours as well as mass submission to the authoritarian tendencies of public or organisational leaders. The study of authoritarianism has, in turn, informed theories of social dominance. In a populist age of authoritarian leaders, the study of these psychological phenomena has become more important. The following texts provide a comprehensive introduction to theories of authoritarianism and the politics that they inform.
Category 1: Theories of authoritarianism.
Adorno, T.W., Frenkel-Brunswick, E., Levinson, D.J., and Sanford, R.N. (1950). The Authoritarian Personality. (1st ed.). New York: Harper. Especially chapter 1. (link to text here)
Feldman, S. (2003). Enforcing Social Conformity: A Theory of Authoritarianism. Political Psychology, Vol. 24(1): 41-74.
Altemeyer, B. (2004). Highly Dominating, Highly Authoritarian Personalities. The Journal of Social Psychology, Vol. 144(4): 421-447.
Stenner, K. (2005). The Authoritarian Dynamic. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press. Especially chapter 2.
Glasius, M. (2018). What authoritarianism is … and is not: a practice perspective. International Affairs, Vol. 94(3): 515–533.
Category 2: Authoritarianism and political behaviour.
Hetherington, M.J., and Weiler, J.D. (2009). Authoritarianism and Polarization in American Politics. Cambridge; New York: Cambridge University Press. Especially chapter 6.
Karaveli, H. (2016). Erdogan's Journey: Conservatism and Authoritarianism in Turkey. Foreign Affairs, Vol. 95(6): 121-130.
Choma, B.L., and Hanoch, Y. (2017). Cognitive ability and authoritarianism: Understanding support for Trump and Clinton. Personality and Individual Differences, Vol. 106: 287-291.
Gounari, P. (2018). Authoritarianism, Discourse and Social Media: Trump as the ‘American Agitator’. In: Morelock, J. (Ed.), Critical Theory and Authoritarian Populism. London: University of Westminster Press. pp. 207-227.
Vasilopoulos, P., and Lachat, R. (2018). Authoritarianism and political choice in France. Acta Politica, Vol. 53: 612–634.
Norris, P., and Inglehart, R. (2019). Cultural Backlash: Trump, Brexit, and Authoritarian Populism. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Chapters 4-6, 8 and 13.
Hartman, T.K., Stocks, T.V.A., McKay, R., et al. (2020). The Authoritarian Dynamic during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Effects on Nationalism and Anti-immigrant Sentiment. Social Psychological and Personality Science.
Online content
News articles:
Michele Gelfand’s Guardian article – ‘Authoritarian leaders thrive on fear. We need to help people feel safe’ (02.01.2020).
Helen De Cruz’s Medium article – ‘Why do we tolerate authoritarian leaders?’ (19.01.2019).
Lydialyle Gibson’s interview with Pippa Norris for Harvard Magazine – ‘The Authoritarian Reflex’ (March 2020).
Podcasts:
The Rise of Authoritarianism by the Sydney Democracy network – In this podcast, Professors Pippa Norris and John Keane set out to explain the growth and character of modern authoritarian regimes and the polarisation between social liberals and social conservatives in their electorates, as well as how these differences of values translate into support for authoritarian-populist parties and leaders in the U.S., Europe, and elsewhere. The forum highlights the dangers to liberal democracy arising from these developments and what could be done to mitigate the risks. Available here.
The Good Fight by Yascha Mounk – this podcast series searches for the ideas, policies and strategies that can beat authoritarian populism. Available here.
Gaslit Nation with Andrea Chalupa and Sarah Kendzior - Sarah Kendzior and Andrea Chalupa are experts on authoritarian states who warned America about election hacking years before 2016. Here, they take a deep dive on the news, skipping outrage to deliver analysis, history, context, and sharp insight on global affairs. Look back at earlier episodes, e.g. How to Trump- and Putin-proof our democracy. Available here.