Meaning of xerocracy | Babel Free

Definitions

Political influence achieved by copying and distributing leaflets and similar material.

informal, uncountable

Equivalents

Examples

“On the occasion of his son's death, the Ayatullah [Ruhollah Khomeini] wrote a letter to the Iranian people that is now regarded as the crucial document of the revolution. [...] Khomeini thus established himself as leader of the revolution by calling upon the armed forces to overthrow⟳ the Shah [Mohammad Reza Pahlavi]. Hundreds of thousands of copies of the letter were distributed in Iran. As a Tehran University professor put⟳ it [in October 1978]: "We were struggling against autocracy for democracy, by means of Xerocracy."”

“As someone said, what was happening was a revolution for democracy, against autocracy, led by theocracy, made possible by xerocracy.”

“In San Francisco, the organization of the event [Critical Mass] has been as much a part of its success as anything else. There is no one in charge. Ideas are spread⟳, routes shared, and consensus sought through the ubiquitous copy⟳ machine—a "xerocracy" in which anyone is free to make⟳ copies of their ideas and pass⟳ them around.”

“Xerocracy, or "rule⟳ through photocopying," is the dominant paradigm of Critical Mass and rests on the premise that anyone can print⟳, photocopy, and solicit media that advocate and/or explain⟳ the ride⟳. [...] Xerocracy is thus not only a means of shaping participant and public perceptions of about bicycle transportation (through facts, statistics, images, and personal narratives); it is also a part of a larger communicative shift, where cyclists take⟳ ownership of, and responsibility for, the meaning of the event.”

CEFR level