Slavoj Žižek, Did Somebody Say Totalitarianism? Five Interventions in the (Mis)use of a Notion

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One of Slavoj Žižek’s most spirited and controversial books is

Did Somebody Say Totalitarianism? Five Interventions in the (Mis)use of a Notion

(2001). This book (abbreviated

Totalitarianism

below) is a witty and pointed attack on contemporary political attitudes, especially in “today’s self-professed ‘radical’ academia” (p. 1). Žižek’s Introduction introduces the thesis of the book, namely that the notion of totalitarianism today functions as a kind of “ideological antioxidant”, the purpose of which is to tame free radicals, prevent thinking, and thereby sustain the illusion of concord in late capitalist society. But the sting of

Totalitarianism

is that Žižek directs his fire, not so much against right-wing conservatives, as against the postmodern Left, more…

2621 words

Citation: Wood, Kelsey. "Did Somebody Say Totalitarianism? Five Interventions in the (Mis)use of a Notion". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 22 July 2010 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=23501, accessed 19 March 2024.]

23501 Did Somebody Say Totalitarianism? Five Interventions in the (Mis)use of a Notion 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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