Policing and Prisons in the Middle East: Formations of Coercion

Edited by Laleh Khalili and Jillian Schwedler

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October, 2010
Cloth, 352 pages,
ISBN: 978-0-231-70176-1
$50.00

In the Middle East, the emergence of the modern nation-state has also produced a concentration in coercive power. The region now harbors numerous mukhabarat states that extensively police and incarcerate its citizens, engaging in widespread torture and implementing spectacular punishments.

This volume is the first to systematically examine these practices within modern Middle East states, unraveling the complex operations of state power and the unforeseen consequences of popular politics. The study identifies the colonial origins and post-independence genesis of policing and incarceration among a variety of states, linking the centrality of criminalization to dissident politics. It also maps the micropractices of policing and incarceration and sketches the ambiguous boundaries between the police and the military.

Related Subjects

• Middle East Studies

About the Author

Laleh Khalili is senior lecturer in Middle East politics at the School of Oriental and African Studies and the author of Heroes and Martyrs of Palestine: The Politics of National Commemoration.

Jillian Schwedler is associate professor in political science at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and the author of, most recently, Faith in Moderation: Islamist Parties in Jordan and Yemen.

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