THE PARANOID STYLE IN AMERICAN POLITICS

---

by Richard Hofstadter (1964)

---

A concise essay that plainly defines the paranoid style which may be unique to American culture. The paranoid style is a longstanding and recurring mode of expression. When enacted, it usually refers to a conspiracy of an enormous scale and is soon followed by a public cry to seek out the conspirators. The conspiracy itself is only vaguely or partly described. Therefore, we must urgently attend to the business of apprehending the conspirators before gaining their knowledge! The paranoid style relies upon a “curious leap of imagination” when in the process of explaining events. That is, if the argument – the paranoid narrative – can be separated into chapters, sections, or vignettes, at least one of these would be missing or has been ignored. The paranoid style views history as neither ongoing class struggle nor a meeting of civilisations. Rather, the world exists within the confines of an almighty battle between good and evil. It is a Manichean universe that is vast and shadowy and is able to exert control over each of us, often without our knowledge. The paranoid style accommodates the “renegade” who must free others from this political control and intellectual enslavement. The existence of the “renegade” serves to restore hope and promise as they appear to have broken free from the enemy’s control. The paranoid style posits society as victims of an unjust attack and calls upon its audience to join ranks with the “renegade.” Non-fiction. 39 pages.

---

---

DETAILS:

Title: The paranoid style in American politics

Year: 1964

Author: Richard Hofstadter

Pages: 39

---

---

Book review by Keith Salter