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Is there any interest in doing a group reading of French sociologist-theologian Jacques Ellul's 1965 classic Propaganda: The Formation of Men's Attitudes?
By group reading I mean reading it together following a posted, common schedule over, say, 8-10 weeks. Folks could share their thoughts on the text here as they read it.
I've read a number of Ellul's essays over the years but none of his books so Propaganda would be my first. Over the past four years I think we've seen a major intensification in the widespread use of propaganda. A more thorough, formal understanding of it seems valuable at this time in our history.
Last year, the US Army War College published an essay on the book titled: "ELLUL'S 'PROPAGANDA': OVER FIFTY YEARS' WARNING, BUT ARE WE LISTENING? (DUSTY SHELVES)". The author, Jon Herrmann, writes: "An overlooked classic of information warfare/operations, disinformation, and fake news is Jacques Ellul's Propaganda: The Formation of Men's Attitudes (1965). Jacques Ellul was a French sociologist and philosopher who served as professor at the University of Bordeaux. Author of over 50 books and more than 1,000 articles, he was a renowned expert on propaganda and the effects of technology on society. His views now seem prescient in light of computational propaganda."
I've read some of Ellul's essays, a book on Ellul's work, and parts of his Propaganda. I think it's a serious mistake to think, as Herrmann seemingly does, that the book is mainly about external propaganda from hostile, foreign actors. It seems clear to me that Ellul's primary concern is propaganda produced internally for domestic consumption.
You can read the book online for free on the Internet Archive.
By group reading I mean reading it together following a posted, common schedule over, say, 8-10 weeks. Folks could share their thoughts on the text here as they read it.
I've read a number of Ellul's essays over the years but none of his books so Propaganda would be my first. Over the past four years I think we've seen a major intensification in the widespread use of propaganda. A more thorough, formal understanding of it seems valuable at this time in our history.
Last year, the US Army War College published an essay on the book titled: "ELLUL'S 'PROPAGANDA': OVER FIFTY YEARS' WARNING, BUT ARE WE LISTENING? (DUSTY SHELVES)". The author, Jon Herrmann, writes: "An overlooked classic of information warfare/operations, disinformation, and fake news is Jacques Ellul's Propaganda: The Formation of Men's Attitudes (1965). Jacques Ellul was a French sociologist and philosopher who served as professor at the University of Bordeaux. Author of over 50 books and more than 1,000 articles, he was a renowned expert on propaganda and the effects of technology on society. His views now seem prescient in light of computational propaganda."
I've read some of Ellul's essays, a book on Ellul's work, and parts of his Propaganda. I think it's a serious mistake to think, as Herrmann seemingly does, that the book is mainly about external propaganda from hostile, foreign actors. It seems clear to me that Ellul's primary concern is propaganda produced internally for domestic consumption.
You can read the book online for free on the Internet Archive.