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The Resource Dance in chains : political imprisonment in the modern world, Padraic Kenney

Dance in chains : political imprisonment in the modern world, Padraic Kenney

Creator
Author
Summary
"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
Language
eng
Work
Publication
Extent
pages cm
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
Isbn
9780199375745
Instance
Label
Dance in chains : political imprisonment in the modern world
Title
Dance in chains
Title remainder
political imprisonment in the modern world
Statement of responsibility
Padraic Kenney
Creator
Author
Subject
Language
eng
Summary
"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
Cataloging source
DLC
Index
index present
LC call number
HV8706
LC item number
.K46 2017
Literary form
non fiction
Nature of contents
bibliography
Label
Dance in chains : political imprisonment in the modern world, Padraic Kenney
Instantiates
Publication
Bibliography note
Includes bibliographical references and index
Carrier category
volume
Carrier category code
nc
Carrier MARC source
rdacarrier
Content category
text
Content type code
txt
Content type MARC source
rdacontent
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
Control code
ocn974796149
Extent
pages cm
Isbn
9780199375745
Lccn
2017008883
Media category
unmediated
Media MARC source
rdamedia
Media type code
n
System control number
  • (Sirsi) i9780199375745
  • (OCoLC)974796149
Label
Dance in chains : political imprisonment in the modern world, Padraic Kenney
Publication
Bibliography note
Includes bibliographical references and index
Carrier category
volume
Carrier category code
nc
Carrier MARC source
rdacarrier
Content category
text
Content type code
txt
Content type MARC source
rdacontent
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
Control code
ocn974796149
Extent
pages cm
Isbn
9780199375745
Lccn
2017008883
Media category
unmediated
Media MARC source
rdamedia
Media type code
n
System control number
  • (Sirsi) i9780199375745
  • (OCoLC)974796149

Subject

Library Locations

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      555 Washington Street, Paducah, KY, 42003, US
      37.0841169 -88.5988375

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