The New Authoritarianism
Series Plan for Springer Press
Editors: E. Dunbar and M. Bennett
Book One: The New Authoritarianism
This volume explores the proliferation of twenty-first-century authoritarian regimes globally. Key topics include the mechanisms behind modern authoritarian leadership, methods of garnering support for autocratic control, and the use of threat framing to advance anti-democratic movements. In-depth analyses will cover authoritarian leaders’ dialectics, the phenomenon of cult-like followership, and the impact of environmental and economic threats on autocratic rule.
Book Two: The New Authoritarianism: Artificial Influence and Political Persuasion
This book delves into the social psychological and technological factors underpinning the support for anti-democratic movements. It examines various forms of social influence and attitude changes, particularly in the context of social media’s role in shaping voter behavior. Contributions will address how artificial intelligence and large language model technologies are utilized to support autocratic leaders like Trump, Le Pen, and Bolsonaro.
Book Three: The New Authoritarianism: Swimming Against the Current
The third volume offers a historical perspective on living under political oppression in the twentieth century. It will analyze how individuals in the creative arts, academia, and community organizations resist and maintain intellectual and organizational integrity. The psychological effects on both targeted outgroups and followers of autocratic regimes will be explored, with a focus on strategies for individual and collective self-care provided by writers, mental health practitioners, and scholars.
Book Four: Supporting the Rule of Law in an Age of Autocracy
This book addresses the challenges of enforcing the rule of law under authoritarian regimes. It will consider policies and techniques for policing and law enforcement to combat ideological violence and mayhem. The role of community relations in mitigating authoritarian threats will be examined, alongside the complexities of right-wing violence and domestic terrorism. Contributions will also tackle law enforcement and prosecution in autocratic systems, drawing insights from practitioners, policymakers, and scholars.
Contribution Regulations
Author Guidelines
Authorship: We will want to work with one primary author in cases of multiple authors for a contributing chapter.
Format: APA 7 style is requested for submission. Please submit submissions in MS Word.
Chapter Length: We have some capacity to work with the contributors on length. However, typically submissions will conform to a double spaced 20 (35 pages in MS Word) to 35 (62 pages in MS Word) page chapter. The anticipated word count is in an 8,000 to 10,000 word range.
Writing Style: Given the range of contributions we expect for the series, the writing style is welcome in both a “Referenced Essay” format as well as more conventional Social Science Research model. Referenced Essay permits for the contributor to expand on his/her own ideas with only relevant referencing to specific supporting ideas and as appropriate direct paraphrasing or quoting. Use of first person and statement of opinion is acceptable but given this topic we caution against a polemic tone. For more data-driven and analytical contributions, a Social Science style with closer referencing and less opinion may be more appropriate. We want to encourage new thinking about the topic that is more innovative than typical scholarly synthesis but less inflammatory than ideological diatribe.
Editorial Decisions: Consultation with contributors will be provided by both Dunbar and Bennett.
Timeline: The contributor(s) will provide an electronic version of their work by September 1, 2025. Editorial review and consultation will have a one month turn around – e.g., October 1, to the contributors in terms of suggested modifications to the document. Contributor revisions will be requested by December 1, 2025. We will submit the work product by January 1, 2026. The Springer Press editorial team will work with the co-editors and the individual contributors during the following three-month period. This period will be for final edits and review of the proof document.
