WE ARE GOING TO PROVE WE ARE A CIVIL AND DEVELOPED COUNTRY: THE CULTURAL PERFORMANCE OF POLICE LEGITIMACY AND EMPIRE IN THE IRAQI STATE

Possessing a monopoly on the legitimate use of force, police are central to the establishment of state legitimacy, especially in a nation experiencing a radical reconstruction. Employing a multi-method examination of a police training academy in Iraqi Kurdistan, this study investigates how a nascent...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:British journal of criminology 2017-07, Vol.57 (4), p.906-923
Main Author: WOZNIAK, JESSE S.G.
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:Possessing a monopoly on the legitimate use of force, police are central to the establishment of state legitimacy, especially in a nation experiencing a radical reconstruction. Employing a multi-method examination of a police training academy in Iraqi Kurdistan, this study investigates how a nascent state attempts to secure hegemony in a post-conflict environment. Drawing upon literature of state legitimacy and empire, findings suggest the reconstruction is better understood as a cultural performance designed to project legitimacy for an imperial client state, helping explain the continued instability of the state and rise of dangerous non-state actors.
ISSN:0007-0955
1464-3529
DOI:10.1093/bjc/azw046