Handbook of Tyranny

by Theo Deutinger (Text & Illustrations), Brendan McGetrick (Contributor)

Factual storytelling: graphic illustrations expose the new tyranny of the 21st century

Handbook of Tyranny portrays the routine cruelties of the 21st century through a series of detailed nonfictional graphic illustrations. None of these cruelties represent extraordinary violence--they reflect day-to-day implementation of laws and regulations around the globe. Every page of the book questions our current world of walls and fences, police tactics and prison cells, crowd control and refugee camps. The dry and factual style of storytelling through technical drawings is the graphic equivalent to bureaucratic rigidity born of laws and regulations. The level of detail depicted in the illustrations of the book mirrors the repressive efforts taken by authorities around the globe.

The 21st century shows a general striving for an ever more regulated and protective society. Yet the scale of authoritarian intervention and its stealth design adds to the growing difficulty of linking cause and effect. By bluntly showing the designs, Handbook of Tyranny gives a profound insight into the relationship between political power, territoriality and systematic cruelties.

Genres: Nonfiction, Architecture, History, Politics, Art, Sociology

160 pages, Hardcover

Published March 27, 2018

Reviews

[Reuben · Rating 5 out of 5]

brilliantly put together, obviously deeply troubling but there's something hopeful about seeing it all systematised so well... it makes it feel surmountable.

[eleen ✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

maybe because i study data visualisation and subjects like decolonisation, dominion, and self determination are increasingly important to me, but i thought this book was fantastic, if at the current date (2023) a little outdated. it uses visualisations to discuss the tyranny of humans.

for me the most fascinating parts were
(1) the chapter on territory and visa free access: how the world is so inaccessible to so many, but i only knew about passport strength
(2) prison cells and the death penalty (though separate chapters, in my opinion very related), wherein prisoners are treated as subhuman. what happens to those who are given minor sentences, or those who are wrongfully convicted? in most countries, i think this would radicalise the incarcerated.

i was also very interested in the sections on a defensive city and defensive landscaping — to me it seems like you need a mild degree of paranoia for that, but is this opinion coming from a place of privilege where i’ve grown up in safety? which is to say, absolutely it is, but influenced also by a history of growing up in places without the room for landscaping.

10/10, would recommend to everyone

[fire_on_the_mountain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Design is a choice, and each choice embodies the politics and worldview of that actor, especially when that actor represents state power. This book forces you to look at the brutality of the world-- namely, the systems we define, utilize, and defend-- without the benefit of placing them in their real-world contexts that muddies our understanding. Authority the world over utilizes design to, as the contributor McGetrick puts it, to control others without giving commands. It is a post-literate language of domination, one that speaks directly to us all, wherein we have no choice to respond.

These design choices, these systems, serve best to insulate individual users and parts of these systems from the brutality and violent outcomes that the create. It's gotten me thinking about the other systems and processes we have designed, ones that do not necessarily have a tangible visual component, but this is an incredible jumping-off point for discussions on the ethics of design and its application in the 21st century.

[Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book about the instruments and structures of statehood. It cleverly focuses on objective facts about systems and architectures, rather than theory and individuals. In this way, it presents the concept of the nation state, security and belonging in a novel way. Many of the facts and diagrams about weaponry, migration and security are surprising and insightful. The book has, of course, a definitive stance, while seemingly objective.

[Jacopo Farina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book and the idea behind it.

A little note: in the section about demolition the destruction of the Palace of the Republic in Berlin is taken as an example of unnecessary act motivated by ideology. That building was actually demolished because it was full of asbestos.

[Glenis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, you will find yourself interested in things you never were previously. Brilliant infographics and way of keeping facts relevant. Easy to pick up and put down or read it all in one go.

[Ash Higgins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating book presenting data with visualization.

[Gundopush · Rating 2 out of 5]

A gorgeous art book held back by surface-level research and factual errors.

[Aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Terrifying. Chills one to the bones seeing how destructive and sinister humanity can be. Eye-opening.

[Brigham Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Graphics and detailed information about architecture and design with security industry, nations, and politics

[Matthew Schrage · Rating 5 out of 5]

Starts a tad slow, but gets real terrifying real fast.

[Alix Gravel · Rating 5 out of 5]

magnifique