Root-Causism

Key Findings:

Susie Linfield, professor of journalism at NYU, analyzes and criticizes the concept of  “root-causism”—the tendency to oversimplify complex events by attributing them to one root cause. Examples from World War I and the Holocaust are provided to illustrate the pitfalls of root-causism, and warn against it. 

The impulse to provide simplistic explanations for complicated topics is an intellectual trend that is perpetuated by the West’s media and academia, and is exhibited in discourse on topics that are, in reality, multilayered and rich with nuance. The author states: “As the world becomes less simple, political analysis becomes more simple.”

In the case of the October 7 attack against Israel by Hamas, Hamas’ actions were caused by an array of factors, including ideology, politics, and history. This is contrasted with the root-causism the attack was met with instead, as various groups and individuals quickly deemed the attack as a response to Israel’s actions, specifically accusations of apartheid, genocide, and settler colonial occupation. 

The author details how the topic of Israel-Palestine is often reduced to root causes, which excludes an array of legitimate factors such as regional issues in the Middle East and internal politics. It is an inadequate approach to addressing the complexities of human history, politics, and global events. The author calls for change, emphasizing the importance of employing nuance and openness to multiple perspectives when discussing history or current events.