Methods of Carceral War

Orisanmi Burton is an assistant professor in anthropology at American University. He is also the author of , which was published in October 2023 by The University of California Press. As a social anthropologist working in the United States, his research examines the imbrication of grassroots resistance and state repression. In his keynote lecture for the
newly established Centre for the Study of Race, Class, and Empire, Burton will tackle the concept of “mass incarceration” in the United States Pr*son
system.

Grounded in a criminalized tradition of Black radical analysis, this lecture reframes “mass incarceration” as carceral war. In doing so, it demystifies the United States Pr*son system as a modality of counterinsurgency. Challenging popular conceptions of “correctional
institutions” as inert sites of penological intervention, it illuminates the Pr*son’s hidden technologies of racial subjugation and charts their relation to global archives of colonial power. By theorizing the Pr*son in this way, this talk foregrounds the complex and protracted formations of Black Revolt against which prisons are constantly mobilized. It demonstrates that the imperative of “neutralizing” the very possibility of Black Revolt is a primary historical driver of Pr*son expansion and innovation. Here “method” takes on a dual
meaning, referring not only to the techniques through which scholars can apprehend, theorize, and write about this war, but more importantly, how it is concretely imposed and contested. Without understanding carceral spaces as zones of undeclared domestic war, zones that are inextricably linked to imperial and officially acknowledged wars waged beyond U.S. borders, we cannot fully understand how and why the United States became the global leader of incarceration that it is today, nor will we be able to effectively fight back.

More about RCE: The newly launched Centre for the Study of Race, Class and Empire (RCE) is committed to shaping and promoting cutting-edge multidisciplinary research examining the intersections of race, class and empire in politics and international relations. Working across the Humanities and Social Sciences, the Centre addresses key questions relating to the production of racism and other forms of marginalisation in politics, society, arts, culture and everyday practice. The Centre will facilitate critical dialogue and research investigating these issues to contemporary crises of our times – wars, pandemics, climate change etc. We invite research that examines: a) race, class and empire as a concept, practice or structure; b) historical and contemporary forms of racism, imperialism and inequalities; c) and resistance by different actors – activists, intellectuals, social movements and ordinary people. The Centre is dedicated to public engagement activities and collaborative partnerships with universities, community organisations and global audiences across a range of formats and activities.

Followed by a drinks reception

Host or Publisher School of Politics and International Relations