“The Cloak of Illegibility: Why Do States Incarcerate Their Opponents?”

Center for Law, Society, and Culture Colloquium Series

“The Cloak of Illegibility: Why Do States Incarcerate Their Opponents?”

Padraic Kenney

Professor of History, IU-Bloomington

Maurer School of Law

3rd Floor Faculty Conference Room (#335)
Thursday, January 23/4 pm

 A PDF version of the paper is available on the Center’s website (http://law.indiana.edu/centers/lawsociety/workshop.shtml). This paper (PDF version available on Center website:  http://law.indiana.edu/centers/lawsociety/workshop.shtml) is part of a book project on political prisoners entitled, Dance in Chains: The Rhythms of Political Imprisonment. Among other things, the book attempts to explain why states imprison their opponents and why political movements celebrate their martyrs behind bars. The long political struggles in Poland, Ireland, and South Africa furnish stories – gathered from two dozen archives and hundreds of published memoirs and diaries – that address these questions. A prospectus can be found here.

 Professor Kenney is also Director of both the IU Russian & East European Institute and the IU Polish Studies Center. He has published numerous books and articles on political repression, political change, and social movements in authoritarian contexts.