Right-wing attacks make critical self-examination nearly impossible for academic radicals

Evidence

I cannot analyse the structure of that pressure here, bur a particular consequence is that the individual practitioner of academic radicalism comes to occupy so beleaguered a space that any critical engagement with the limitations of one’s own intellectual and political formation becomes difficult. The Right’s attack tends, rather, to confirm the sense of one’s own achievement. This power of the Right more or less to dictate the terms of engagement, not only in the academy bur (even more so) in the culture at large, is surely nor a creation of the university-based Leftir is, rather, evidence of the Right’s power, and sets the objective limits for the Left itself. — Aijaz Ahmad, In Theory, 268

Categorization

• XREF: Explains a structural mechanism why postcolonial theorists could not loosen their discourse-first essentialist binds — external siege forecloses internal critique. — connects to: Right-wing denialists weaponized academic leftist skepticism of experts — Lee McIntyre, Post-Truth, 289; Right-wing authoritarians resist learning they are prejudiced. — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology: Key Readings, 916; Right-wing authoritarians fail to recognize their own prejudice while social dominators partly do. — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 978 (+1 more)

Broader Connections

• Right-wing denialists weaponized academic leftist skepticism of experts #corroborates (0.85) — Lee McIntyre, Post-Truth, 289
• Right-wing authoritarians resist learning they are prejudiced. #corroborates (0.80) — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 916
• Right-wing authoritarians fail to recognize their own prejudice while social dominators partly do. #corroborates (0.75) — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 978
• Authoritarians lack practice in independent critical reasoning #expands (0.70) — Bob Altemeyer, The Authoritarian Specter, 1192