| Review of: | Making Enemies by Rodney Barker |
|---|---|
| Reviewed By: | Marc Calvini-Lefebvre |
| Reviewed in: | Political Studies Review |
| Date accepted online: | 14/01/2008 |
| Published in print: | Volume 05, Issue 03, Pages 395-474 |
Book Reviews: Political Theory
Against the assertions of a long line of conservative thinkers running from Adam Ferguson through Carl Schmitt to Roger Scruton, Rodney Barker convincingly argues in this thought-provoking sequel to his
Out of the complex and subtle Weberian approach Barker develops in the first half of the book and applies to particular historical cases in the second, come three main claims. Firstly, that alongside competition, antagonism and demonisation, enmity is one of four possible narratives of 'the other' in politics. On the scale of increasing hostility that they constitute, it marks the point at which a political actor calls for the use of force against their opponent: the passage from politics to warfare. In practice, of course, things are more muddled: electoral opponents may call themselves 'enemies' without exchanging blows. But this absence of violence indicates that narrators are attempting to reap the benefits of enmity narratives without paying the price of descent into civil war. These benefits derive from the fact that enmity is, secondly, a 'functional narrative' (p. 68) that performs three roles: it sustains the identity of the narrator, simplifies and makes predictable the signs of membership in the narrator's community, and promotes a sense of common purpose in that community.
Thirdly, and as a result of these functions, while enmity narratives can appear in a plurality of media, historical circumstances, political and social locations, and varieties, one feature remains constant: the crucial role rulers play in their development, cultivation and termination. Barker repeatedly illustrates this theme by examining historical instances of enemies below (European witch hunts, McCarthyism in the USA, the Chinese Cultural Revolution), enemies above (populism) and demonisation. In each case, he shows how enmity narratives are fabricated, tolerated or encouraged by rulers so long as they allow them 'to confirm their self-identification, to sustain their support amongst their subjects and followers, and to justify their control over them' (p. 61). However, as soon as the enmity narrative becomes a threat it is either quashed by rulers, or, if they fail, results in their overthrow.
Given this role played by enmity in sustaining government and increasing its control, given the constant possibility enmity narratives offer of justifying violent action, and given that enmity is part of the broader activity of identity cultivation (itself partially open to human choice), Barker concludes that we should beware of enemy makers and seek to cultivate identities without cultivating enemies.
In addition to these conclusions, scholars and postgraduate students will find much to ponder in this book, including fascinating insights into the evolution of the public identities of the Labour and Conservative parties since 1989, the relationship of narrative to other dimensions of political action and the usefulness of ideal-types. However, they may also find Barker too careful a scholar, as he repeats in almost every chapter a number of warnings against the perils of seeking predictive laws when it comes to enmity that, although convincing, need only be stated once. But that is a minor quibble for what is an otherwise highly stimulating study.