Graduation Year

2026

Document Type

Campus Only Senior Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Politics and International Relations

Reader 1

Pamela Bromley

Reader 2

Sumita Pahwa

Reader 3

Julia Morris

Terms of Use & License Information

Terms of Use for work posted in Scholarship@Claremont.

Abstract

This thesis explores the potential utility of applying literary theory, particularly the concept of fictional worldbuilding, to investigate authoritarian narratives. By drawing together constructivism alongside sociology, literary theory, and authoritarian studies, I propose an exploration of authoritarian legitimation through concepts such as legitimation, discourse, rhetoric, narrative, narrative legitimacy, and ‘fictional worlds’ theory. Through discourse analysis of the official speeches of two contemporary regimes—Hungary and Russia—I demonstrate how narrative constructs authoritarian legitimacy, creates coherent worldbuilding, and inoculates authoritarian regimes from delegitimization through methods of unmasking. Shifting from a realist understanding of rhetoric, propaganda, or discourse towards a constructivist understanding of narrative as an ontological process better explains the process of authoritarian legitimation. These findings suggest that effective authoritarian resistance requires active counter-narration rather than more traditional tactics such as truth-telling, information transparency, or factual unmasking. Ultimately, this constructivist explanation, grounded in literary theory and the process of fictional worldbuilding expands our understanding of how authoritarian powers legitimize themselves in the broader contemporary world.

Download

This thesis is restricted to the Claremont Colleges current faculty, students, and staff.

Share

COinS