How counter-critique problematises power: on the ‘tyranny’ of ideas

Drawing on a corpus of books by conservative, right-wing or reactionary authors–together termed ‘counter-critics’–this article examines how they represent their opponents’ ideas as ‘tyranny’, as ‘authoritarian’ or even ‘totalitarian’. Rather than offering a theoretical account of ‘power’, the approach here follows a Foucauldian approach to ‘problematisation’, examining how ‘power’ is represented in discourse. Beyond tracing how counter-critics denounce their opponents as ‘tyrannical’, what emerges here is how a special power is attributed to words and ideas, both to enchant people with ideology and to dispel such delusions. Finally, this article offers reflexive considerations concerning the practice of critique. © 2026 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.