[Commlist] New Book: Critical Theory and Authoritarian Populism

CRITICAL THEORY AND AUTHORITARIAN POPULISM

Edited by Jeremiah Morelock


After President Trump’s election, BREXIT and the widespread rise of 
far-Right political parties, much public discussion has intensely 
focused on populism and authoritarianism. In the middle of the twentieth 
century, members of the early Frankfurt School prolifically studied and 
theorized fascism and anti-Semitism in Germany and the United States. In 
this volume, leading European and American scholars apply insights from 
the early Frankfurt School to present-day authoritarian populism, 
including the Trump phenomenon and related developments across the 
globe. Chapters are arranged into three sections exploring different 
aspects of the topic: theories, historical foundations, and 
manifestations via social media. Contributions examine the vital 
political, psychological and anthropological theories of early Frankfurt 
School thinkers, and how their insights could be applied now amidst the 
insecurities and confusions of twenty-first century life. The many 
theorists considered include Adorno, Fromm, Löwenthal and Marcuse, 
alongside analysis of Austrian Facebook pages and Trump’s tweets and 
operatic media drama. This book is a major contribution towards deeper 
understanding of populism’s resurgence in the age of digital capitalism.


CONTENTS

Preface
Douglas Kellner

Introduction: The Frankfurt School and Authoritarian Populism – A 
Historical Outline
Jeremiah Morelock

Part 1: Theories of Authoritarianism

1. Frankfurt School Critical Theory and the Persistence of Authoritarian 
Populism in the United States
John Abromeit

2. The Persistence of the Authoritarian Appeal: On Critical Theory as a 
Framework for Studying Populist Actors in European Democracies
Lars Rensmann

3. Understanding Right and Left Populism
Samir Gandesha

4. Donald Trump as Authoritarian Populist: A Frommian Analysis
Douglas Kellner

PART 2: FOUNDATIONS OF AUTHORITARIANISM

5. From Modernity to Bigotry Stephen
Eric Bronner

6. Opposing Authoritarian Populism: The Challenge and Necessity of a New 
World System
Charles Reitz

7. Public Sphere and World-System: Theorizing Populism at the Margins
Jeremiah Morelock and Felipe Ziotti Narita

Part 3: Digital Authoritarianism

8. Racism, Nationalism and Right-Wing Extremism Online: The Austrian 
Presidential Election 2016 on Facebook
Christian Fuchs

9. Authoritarianism, Discourse and Social Media: Trump as the ‘American 
Agitator’
Panayota Gounari

10. Phantasmagoria and the Trump Opera
Forrest Muelrath



Published open access by the University of Westminster Press

https//www.uwestminsterpress.co.uk/site/books/10.16997/book30

This book is published in the Critical Digital and Social Media Studies 
Series

https//www.uwestminsterpress.co.uk/site/books/series/critical-digital-and-social-media-studies

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