How Repression Crushes Social Critique

Sustained authoritarianism creates what I call a “Despondency Trap”. If people never see successful resistance, they may believe it is impossible, and feel resigned to their fates. Rather than waste time in organising resistance, they keep their heads down.

Through qualitative research in Uzbekistan, I learnt how political repression sustains patriarchy, by crushing complaints and cultural critique.

This post explores:

• Central Asian authoritarianism

• The Despondency Trap

• Self-censorship

• The destruction of creative experimentation

• Democratisation is a precursor to feminist consciousness

• The dearth of social critique

A portrait of Stalin oversees work on a collective farm. By Penson