Antipode to Terror: Spaces of Performative Politics

Daanish Mustafa*, Katherine E. Brown, Matthew Tillotson

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

17 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Focusing on Pakistan we address the human geography of politics and violence to argue that organized political violence is not only about death and destruction but also, more importantly, about the control of the public sphere, and vitally, the reorganization of space. To make this argument we also extend Arendt's thesis on totalitarianism and the human condition. Our argument is grounded in a review of the activities of Tehrik-e-Taliban, Pakistan's (TTP) during their brief control of the Swat valley in Pakistan. We argue that TTP's spectacular violence eliminates 'worldliness', plurality and life, so that spontaneous action is denied and the public sphere is destroyed through the universalization of terror. The practical implication of our argument is that, in significant contrast to state and military actions to date, productive measures to resist violence should protect the performance of politics in an extended public sphere.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1110-1127
Number of pages18
JournalAntipode: a radical journal of geography
Volume45
Issue number5
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Nov 2013

Keywords

  • terrorism
  • Arendt
  • Pakistan
  • performative politics
  • violence
  • totalitarianism
  • PUBLIC SPACE
  • PAKISTAN
  • SPHERE
  • WAR
  • STRATEGY
  • TALIBAN
  • WOMEN
  • ISLAM

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