Spectacles and Specters: A Performative Theory of Political Trials

Spectacles and Specters, a book by legal scholar Başak Ertür, was shortlisted for the Hart-SLSA Book Prize and offers a radical departure from accounts that consider political trials as instrumental in exercising or containing political violence. Ertür develops a theory of political trials by reconstructing and building on a legacy of critical thought on Nuremberg in close engagement with theories of performativity. She then offers original case studies that introduce a new perspective by looking beyond the Holocaust trials, to the Armenian genocide and its fragmentary legal aftermaths. This focus on laws performativity allows us to account for how sovereign schemes can misfire and how trials can come to have unintended political lives and afterlives, revealing how law is entangled with and perpetuates certain histories of violence.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 272 pages
Publication date: 24 October 2022
Publisher: Fordham University Press

WINNER,SLSA SOCIO-LEGAL THEORY AND HISTORY PRIZE
SHORTLISTED,THE HART-SLSA BOOK PRIZE
SPECTACLES AND SPECTERS
DRAWS ON THEORIES OF PERFORMANCE TO CONCEPTUALIZE THE ENTAGLEMENTS OF LAW AND POLITICAL VIOLENCE
OFFERS A RADICAL DEPARTURE FROM ACCOUNTS THAT CONSIDER POLITICAL TRIALS AS INSTRUMENTAL IN EXERCISING OR CONTAINING POLITICAL VIOLENCE
LEGAL SCHOLAR BAŞAK ERTÜR ARGUES THAT MAKING SENSE OF THE OFTEN INCALCULABLE INTERPENETRATIONS OF LAW, POLITICS, AND VIOLENCE IN TRIALS REQUIRES SHIFTING THE FOCUS AWAY FROM LAWS INSTRUMENTALITY TO ITS PERFORMANCE
ERTÜR DEVELOPS A THEORY OF POLITICAL TRIALS BY RECONSTRUCTING AND BUILDING ON A LEGACY OF CRITICAL THOUGHT ON NUREMBERG IN CLOSE ENGAGEMENT WITH THEORIES OF PERFORMANCE
SHE THEN OFFERS ORIGINAL CASE STUDIES THAT INTRODUCE A NEW PERSPECTIVE BY LOOKING BEYOND THE HOLOCAUST TRIALS, TO THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE AND ITS FRAGMENTARY LEGAL AFTERMATHS
THESE CASES INCLUDE THE 1921 TRIAL OF SOGHOMON TEHLIRIAN, THE 2007-21 Hrant DINK MURDER TRIAL, AND THE 2015 CASE BEFORE THE EUROPEAN COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS CONCERNING THE DENIAL OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
ENABLING US TO CAPTURE THE VARIOUS MODALITIES IN WHICH THE POLITICAL EMERGES IN, THROUGH AND IN RELATION TO LEGAL FORMS ON THE STAGE OF THE TRIAL, THIS FOCUS ON LAWS PERFORMANCE ALSO ALLOWS US TO ACCOUNT FOR HOW SOVEREIGN SCHEMES CAN MISFIRE AND HOW TRIALS CAN COME TO HAVE UNINTENDED POLITICAL LIVES AND AFTERLIVES
FURTHER, IT REVEALS HOW LAW IS ENTWINED WITH AND PERPETUATES CERTAIN HISTORIES OF VIOLENCE, RATHER THAN SIMPLY EVER MASTERING THESE HISTORIES OR PROVIDING CLOSURE

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781531501860