Dance in chains : political imprisonment in the modern world / Padraic Kenney.
| Author/creator |
Kenney, Padraic, 1963- |
| Other author/creator | Oxford University Press. |
| Format | Electronic and Book |
| Publication Info | New York, NY : Oxford University Press, 2017. |
| Description | ix, 330 pages ; 24 cm |
| Supplemental Content | Full text available from Oxford Scholarship Online |
| Supplemental Content | Full text available from Oxford Scholarship Online History |
| Subject(s) |
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| Contents | Introduction: Where a free man can abide with honor -- "But I have no wish to be discharged" : when imprisonment became political -- Night and fog : the regime and its prisoners -- "Everyone learned prison" : becoming a political prisoner -- "You have the consolation of being very much in the fight" : the cause in prison -- "How to free your prisoner" : the personal and the political of international prisoner support -- "A close-knit group, chosen with care" : community and order in the political camp and prison -- "I was confusing the prison" : the contest in the cell -- "Why wouldn't I laugh, when I win either way?" : the hunger strike -- "This purgatory is useful" : how prison forges politics -- Conclusion: The politics of prisoners' stories -- Epilogue: "Nobody survives Guantanamo" : a political prison today -- Notes -- Archives consulted. |
| Scope and content | "What part does the imprisoned activist play in the conflict between regimes and their opponents around the world? Political incarceration today seems to offer the clearest evidence of a repressive regime, and of a determined political opposition. Yet surely there are more effective alternatives, for both states and their opponents, than incarceration. Imprisoned opponents, like those of the African National Congress in South Africa, or of Solidarity in Poland, or of the Irish Republican Army in Northern Ireland, may eventually claim or share power, while those who are executed or exiled will not pose the same threat. From the opposition's point of view, imprisonment, even though it deprives the movement of a valued contributor, is often a badge of honor. Our perceptions of political prisoners are awash in clichés and archetypes. We think of Nelson Mandela, or perhaps Václav Havel: good men, engaged in a moral struggle. But can that really be an acceptable definition, when Adolph Hitler too was a political prisoner? Can we understand what political prisoners are and what they do if we do not include those whose goals or ethics are different from our own? Dance in Chains--the title inspired by a song composed by a socialist on death row in a Warsaw prison 120 years ago--draws upon research in Poland, Ireland, South Africa and includes over a dozen different regimes over the last 150 years. These cases serve as pillars holding up a global investigation of the phenomenon. In each case, generations of political opponents have gone to prison since at least the turn of the twentieth century. Yet they also vary widely. Taken together, they yield a sufficiently wide spectrum to allow the reader to understand one of the central characters of modern political history"--Provided by publisher. |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references (pages 283-322). |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| Access restriction | Available only to authorized users. |
| Technical details | Mode of access: World Wide Web |
| Genre/form | Electronic books. |
| LCCN | 2017008883 |
| ISBN | 9780199375745 (hardcover : acid-free paper) |
Available Items
| Library | Location | Call Number | Status | Item Actions | |
| Electronic Resources | View Online Content | ✔ Available |