The Spectacle of Critique : From Philosophy to Cacophony

This book draws on anthropological theory to provide a different perspective on the public cacophony of critique, where even entrenched opponents become imitative, making the same accusations against one other. Addressing a central academic concern, with a special focus on political critique in the public sphere, it offers a sociology of critique that problematizes critique, examining its roots, as well its various forms in contemporary political discourse in relation to populism, as seen in presidential elections, referendum campaigns and discussions of welfare reform.

Far from being the preserve of a few elite thinkers, critique increasingly dominates public life in modernity, leading to a cacophony of accusation and denunciation around all political issues. The technique of unmasking ‘power’ or ‘hegemony’ or ‘ideology’ has now been adopted across the political spectrum, where critical discourses are routinely used to suggest that anything and everything is only a ‘construct’ or even a ‘conspiracy’. This book draws on anthropological theory to provide a different perspective on this phenomenon; critique appears as a liminal predicament combining imitative polemical and schismatic urges with a haunting sense of uncertainty. It thereby addresses a central academic concern, with a special focus on political critique in the public sphere and within social media. Combining historical interrogations of the roots of critique, as well as examining contemporary political discourse in relation to populism, as seen in presidential elections, historical commemorations and welfare reform, The Spectacle of Critique uses anthropology and genealogy to offer a new sociology of critique that problematises critique and diagnoses its crisis, cultivating acritical and imaginative ways of thinking.