The topos of “state as style”
War on form and the exigence of state theory
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 23019463 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Maryam Ahmadi (0000-0002-8333-4297, University of Georgia, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 19 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 103-106 |
| Publication date | 2026-06-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Communication Culture and Critique (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1753-9137 • E-ISSN: 1753-9129 |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press (OUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1093/ccc/tcag021 |
| OpenAlex | W7165805174 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 5 |
This article examines the discourse of imperialist aggression against the Global South state as an instantiation of the topos of “state as style,” defined as the reduction of the state to a rhetorical form that is distinct, and thereby detachable, from its true content, namely the oppressed people. This topos, I argue, articulates media, military, economic, and academic discourses, resulting in a discursive alliance that uncouples people from the state institutions and infrastructures that sustain them. Once the dis/articulation is achieved, wars may be waged on forms rather than peoples. Exploring the implications of this topos for critical scholarship, I argue that our valorization of the category of the oppressed at the expense of state theory is implicated in this ideological war machine.
Alliance · Ideology · Rhetorical question · State (computer science) · State of exception · Topos theory · Global Security and Public Health · International Relations and Foreign Policy · Peacebuilding and International Security
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |