Just Violence

Torture and Human Rights in the Eyes of the Police

Nonfiction, Reference & Language, Education & Teaching, Educational Theory, Educational Reform
Cover of the book Just Violence by Rachel Wahl, Stanford University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Rachel Wahl ISBN: 9781503601024
Publisher: Stanford University Press Publication: January 25, 2017
Imprint: Stanford University Press Language: English
Author: Rachel Wahl
ISBN: 9781503601024
Publisher: Stanford University Press
Publication: January 25, 2017
Imprint: Stanford University Press
Language: English

Police who engage in torture are condemned by human rights activists, the media, and people across the world who shudder at their brutality. Stark revelations about torture by American forces at places like Guantanamo Bay have stoked a fascination with torture and debates about human rights. Yet despite this interest, the public knows little about the officers who actually commit such violence. How do the police understand what they do? How do their beliefs inform their responses to education and activism against torture?

Just Violence reveals the moral perspective of perpetrators and how they respond to human rights efforts. Through interviews with law enforcers in India, Rachel Wahl uncovers the beliefs that motivate officers who use and support torture, and how these beliefs shape their responses to international human rights norms. Although on the surface Indian officers' subversion of human rights may seem to be a case of "local culture" resisting global norms, officers see human rights as in keeping with their religious and cultural traditions—and view Western countries as the primary human rights violators. However, the police do not condemn the United States for violations; on the contrary, for Indian police, Guantanamo Bay justifies torture in New Delhi. This book follows the attempts of human rights workers to both persuade and coerce officers into compliance. As Wahl explains, current human rights strategies can undermine each other, leaving the movement with complex dilemmas regarding whether to work with or against perpetrators.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Police who engage in torture are condemned by human rights activists, the media, and people across the world who shudder at their brutality. Stark revelations about torture by American forces at places like Guantanamo Bay have stoked a fascination with torture and debates about human rights. Yet despite this interest, the public knows little about the officers who actually commit such violence. How do the police understand what they do? How do their beliefs inform their responses to education and activism against torture?

Just Violence reveals the moral perspective of perpetrators and how they respond to human rights efforts. Through interviews with law enforcers in India, Rachel Wahl uncovers the beliefs that motivate officers who use and support torture, and how these beliefs shape their responses to international human rights norms. Although on the surface Indian officers' subversion of human rights may seem to be a case of "local culture" resisting global norms, officers see human rights as in keeping with their religious and cultural traditions—and view Western countries as the primary human rights violators. However, the police do not condemn the United States for violations; on the contrary, for Indian police, Guantanamo Bay justifies torture in New Delhi. This book follows the attempts of human rights workers to both persuade and coerce officers into compliance. As Wahl explains, current human rights strategies can undermine each other, leaving the movement with complex dilemmas regarding whether to work with or against perpetrators.

More books from Stanford University Press

Cover of the book Mixing Musics by Rachel Wahl
Cover of the book Between Law and Diplomacy by Rachel Wahl
Cover of the book BRICS or Bust? by Rachel Wahl
Cover of the book Outsourced Children by Rachel Wahl
Cover of the book The Problem of Distraction by Rachel Wahl
Cover of the book The Transparency Society by Rachel Wahl
Cover of the book Slam School by Rachel Wahl
Cover of the book The Dollar and National Security by Rachel Wahl
Cover of the book Contested Conversions to Islam by Rachel Wahl
Cover of the book Surrendering to Utopia by Rachel Wahl
Cover of the book Paradise Plundered by Rachel Wahl
Cover of the book Black Autonomy by Rachel Wahl
Cover of the book Thinking Allegory Otherwise by Rachel Wahl
Cover of the book Live and Die Like a Man by Rachel Wahl
Cover of the book Consuming Literature by Rachel Wahl
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy