The New York Times - Michiko Kakutani
Although propaganda has usually been associated with totalitarian regimes like Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union…Jason Stanley…reminds us…that propaganda can also pose a grave danger to democracies. The subject couldn't be more relevant, given the profusion of fake news and misinformation on the web today; a public with a voracious appetite for scandal and entertainment, coupled with media outlets obsessed with ratings and clicks…How Propaganda Works…provides valuable insights into an important and timely subject.
BookForum
"The book crackles with brilliant insights and erudition."
Survival: Global Politics and Strategy
"Brilliant and incisive."
Desmog Canada
"Rich and thoughtful. . . . The best way to fight propaganda is to become savvier about how it manipulates, how it actually works, as Stanley does in his work."
Spinwatch
"[A] timely and important work that contributes a good deal of theoretical understanding to a crucial yet relatively neglected topic of inquiry."
Voegelinview
"A book uniquely suited to its time. . . . An example of political philosophy at its finest."
The National
"How Propaganda Works deserves huge praise and should be read by anyone who cares about politics and language. Its trove of tools and insights is impossible to completely summarise here."
DeSmog Canada
"Rich and thoughtful. . . . The best way to fight propaganda is to become savvier about how it manipulates, how it actually works, as Stanley does in his work."
Kirkus Reviews
"Citing examples ranging from historical racism in America to Citizens United, Stanley's critique of propaganda and ideology will only prove more influential as public and political opinion is further polarized. . . . [A] useful examination of propaganda's pervasiveness."
From the Publisher
"Provides valuable insights into an important and timely subject."—-Michiko Kakutani, New York Times Book Review
"Stanley tracks propaganda's history across continents and through decades, illuminating its power to make people vote against their own best interests. And what he has found is [that] the words being used may be as important as the politics behind them."—-Nick Osborne, Boston Globe
Kirkus Reviews
2015-05-05
An academic analysis of the ways in which propaganda still functions and influences ideology in contemporary society. The concept of propaganda seems to be an anachronism. Or, as Stanley (Philosophy/Yale Univ.; Know How, 2011, etc.) puts it, propaganda is typically reserved for historical thinking about totalitarian and fascist regimes—e.g., the Nazis or Stalinist Russia. However, this thinking is dangerous precisely because it removes propaganda from a contemporary context, thereby allowing it to infiltrate discourse unnoticed. Moreover, the concept of propaganda functioning within a democratic society is especially tricky since the very idea of democracy is at odds with an environment that could allow propaganda. Stanley astutely identifies the conundrum of democracy and propaganda: "Democracy is a system of self-rule that is supposed to maximize liberty. Freedom of speech, especially public political speech, cannot be restricted in a democracy. But the unrestricted use of propaganda is a serious threat to democracy." The author's analysis of propaganda within a democratic political system is scholarly but vital, as he dismantles this erroneous preconception step by step, from Plato to the present day. His dissections of language and social structures expose the underpinnings of how propaganda continues to dictate individual consciousness and social policy. For instance, the author painstakingly defines the terms of his analysis, creating distinctions among "supporting propaganda," "undermining propaganda," and "demagoguery," to name a few. Ultimately, the damage of propaganda, as defined by Stanley, is that it creates public opinion that is "radically misaligned" with national policy, all for the political or financial gain of the minority exploiting the flawed ideology of democratic society, however sincerely or insincerely. Citing examples ranging from historical racism in America to Citizens United, Stanley's critique of propaganda and ideology will only prove more influential as public and political opinion is further polarized. Laymen beware, but curious and disciplined readers will find a useful examination of propaganda's pervasiveness.
