The Warhammer 40,000 (W40K) universe is a grimdark dystopian projection of science fantasy. In this far future, humanity is in a state of perpetual war against external threats, but also in an internal political struggle between two diametrically opposed factions structured around the axis of authoritarianism/self-organization.

W40K is also a community-based game. Players are presented with an extensive discourse constructed from the point of view of the authoritarian part of humanity, which takes the form of a dominant discourse as defined by Foucault. Other discourses thus assume the form of subjugated discourses, which players must reconstruct from the dominant ones, leaving much of the lore to interpretation. These relationships between discourses, structures of domination, and power are apparent in the materials made available, notably the core rule books of each edition: “knowledge is power, hide it well” (7th edition core rule book p. 79).

In this presentation, we will highlight how the dominant discourse presented to the players – that of the Imperium of Man – takes up the structure of dominant scientific and political discourse in Western societies over the 19th and 20th centuries. We’ll argue that the sub-factions proposed take up structures of social hierarchization established with regard to different communities. Finally, we’ll illustrate how this conceptual framework can be used to analyze the politicization of the medium by certain players, based on the inquisition adage that “the rewards of tolerance are treachery and betrayal” (7th edition core rule book p. 107).

Ultimately, W40K appears to be an interesting medium for structuring political and community discourse, for popularizing epistemic knowledge, and as a tool for expression and debate.

Author bios

Anna Baleige is a medical doctor, psychiatrist, sexologist, community researcher working on the subjugation of community knowledge, a daemonette of Slaanesh, and an enemy of the Imperium.

Mathilde: Just bringing skulls for the skull throne and blood for the Blood God ; also a (corpus) linguist.

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