Time: 6:00 - 8:00pm Venue: Queen Mary University Of London, Skeel Lecture Theatre in the People’s Place, Mile End Rd, London, E1 4PE
Although the CIA’s post-9/11 torture program was stopped, torture is not a thing of the past. Rather, the “afterlives of torture” has seen a surge in public support for torture. Hajjar uses Avery Gordon’s concept of “haunting” to explore how the domestic record of lies, secrecy, unaccountability and ignorance in relation to torture has contributed to the empowerment of political reactionaries indifferent to the illegality of torture. This reactionism has global implications because it defines the ways the US government performs power and security on the international stage and on the bodies of suspected enemies.
Professor Lisa Hajjar has a distinguished international reputation for her work on sociology of law and conflict, human rights, political violence, and contemporary international affairs. She is an interdisciplinary scholar who has made significant contributions to multiple fields in the social sciences and humanities, including Middle East Studies, American Studies, and Law and Society. Hajjar’s current research focuses on the ongoing US “war on terror,” particularly around the issues of torture, targeted killing, and Guantanamo. She is the only social scientist who has travelled to Guantanamo (9 times to date), where she conducts research and writes about the military commissions.
The event is sponsored by the School of Law, Department of Geography and School of Politics and International Relations as well as the International State Crime Initiative at Queen Mary University of London.
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