Week 10 Blog Post

In relation to our recent lecture regarding authoritarianism and culture i looked more into the idea that regimes often manipulate cultural norms to enforce their agendas or “rule” onto the people. In saying this i was particularly interested in the use of religion to do this as this can be heavily linked to cultural beliefs and values, aspects that can work to enforce the authoritarian rule or work against it. An example of culture and authoritarianism working together we can look at countries like Iran, who intertwine both Islamic practices with governance in order to justify certain policies or laws - the country’s power often being in the hands of those with great religious influence and being the reason for this aspects heavy presence in the country’s governance. As values and religion are often intertwined, this can majorly influence the way certain countries govern, which is why culture in itself can often be seen as a major influence in certain authoritarian regimes.