Civil Society Resistance to State Violence and Corruption

Venue: Theatre 219, Kwong Lee Dow Building

Presenters: Professor Penny Green

Civil society resistance has the power to expose and ultimately challenge state crime, violence, and corruption. It occurs not only in places where ‘the rule of law’ is absent or precarious, but also in those which have a normative commitment to upholding it. In this seminar, Professor Penny Green will explore the complicated and interdependent relationship between organised civil society and the state. She will contend that the concept of ‘civil society’ is central to understanding both crimes committed by the state and its responses to the crimes of others.

Drawing on extensive fieldwork in Turkey, Tunisia, Burma, Kenya, PNG, Colombia and Israel/Palestine, Professor Green will explore some of the ways in which civil society resistance emerges, survives, and sometimes even ‘flourishes’ under conditions of dictatorship, state violence, and repression. She will examine the role politics, human rights, violence, religion, and charity play when the stakes in demanding justice are very high. Despite the reasons underpinning civil society resistance, this lecture will ultimately highlight how complex and fragile it is to unmask and challenge state criminality.

from
https://events.unimelb.edu.au/events/7705-civil-society-resistance-to-state-violence-and-corruption