Specters of regimes of terror, fear and anxiety in postmodernity: their social causes, consequences and ways of mastering them

Abstract

The article is an attempt to show theoretical references to the issues of terror, fear and anxiety, taking into account the perception of their social causes and consequences. It is reasonable to embed the considerations in postmodernism. I expand the analytical horizons of meanings attributed to fear cultures in the broadest sense, capturing the more important trajectories of their understanding. The contempo- rary security habitus is immanently linked to the spectres of fear cultures, however, this connection should not be seen in a binary context, but rather in a hybrid one. The spectres of fear culture emerge in ever new guises in social reality and permeate people's consciousness. They have taken a prominent place in systems for ensuring security and public order, fuelled by the threat of constantly lurking dan- gers. Cultures of fear are powerful discourses embedded in camouflaged ways for population manage- ment activities that are not always in line with the general interest and will. Cultures of fear are repressive regimes for often global stakeholders trying to exercise their power in ever new spaces. Depending on their motives, they may use the calculated rhetoric of fear cultures, skilfully escalating them. These rhet- oric include the production and implementation of terror, violence, coercion, intimidation or threats to instil fear or anxiety in the daily lives of ordinary people. This can lead to traumatizing entire generations susceptible to the rhetoric of fear. Knowledge of these mechanisms can provide the power to counter the rhetoric of fear in everyday life.