ABSTRACT

Authoritarianism is no longer imposed largely through military repression; it now takes place by undermining the public imagination and using culture and its various apparatuses to weaken civic literacy and the public institutions fundamental to civic culture. This article argues that in the 21st century democracy has become fragile. Under the onslaught of what I call disimagination machines, education in its most repressive educational and cultural forms has shaped a mass consciousness that is susceptible to lies, conspiracy theories, and the anti-democratic values and social relations endemic to right-wing populist movements and emerging demagogues. The article argues that the United States is undergoing an unprecedented crisis of political culture and form of depoliticization that are more dangerous than the damaging public policies that emerged in the United States since the rise of neoliberal capitalism in the 1970s. Equally alarming is the fact that the crisis of neoliberal capitalism has not been matched by a crisis of ideas, even as the United States has increasingly been organized on fascist principles for the last few decades. The article concludes by arguing that culture follows politics and that we live in an age when education has to become central to any strategy for engaging politics in the age of emerging authoritarianism.

摘要

威权主义不再主要通过军事镇压来强加；现在它的发生是通过破坏公众的想象力和利用文化及其各种手段来削弱公民素养和公民文化的基础公共机构。本文认为，在 21 世纪民主已经变得脆弱。在我所谓的“去想象机器”的猛烈冲击下，以最压抑的教育和文化形式进行的教育塑造了一种大众意识，这种意识容易受到谎言、阴谋论以及右翼民粹主义运动和社会关系的普遍影响。新兴的煽动者。文章认为，美国正在经历一场前所未有的政治文化危机和去政治化形式，这比自 1970 年代新自由资本主义兴起以来在美国出现的破坏性公共政策更为危险。同样令人担忧的是，新自由主义资本主义的危机并未与思想危机相提并论，即使美国在过去几十年中越来越多地按照法西斯原则组织起来。文章最后指出，文化追随政治，我们生活在这样一个时代，在新兴的威权主义时代，教育必须成为任何参与政治的战略的核心。同样令人担忧的是，新自由主义资本主义的危机并未与思想危机相提并论，即使美国在过去几十年中越来越多地按照法西斯原则组织起来。文章最后指出，文化追随政治，我们生活在这样一个时代，在新兴的威权主义时代，教育必须成为任何参与政治的战略的核心。同样令人担忧的是，新自由主义资本主义的危机并未与思想危机相提并论，即使美国在过去几十年中越来越多地按照法西斯原则组织起来。文章最后指出，文化追随政治，我们生活在这样一个时代，在新兴的威权主义时代，教育必须成为任何参与政治的战略的核心。