Corruption is more than just breaking the lawNew book questions assumptions about good governance and transparencySimon Turner, DIIS, has contributed a chapter on ‘Corruption Narratives and the Power of Concealment: the case of Burundi’s civil war’ in a new book ‘Corruption and the Secret of Law – a Legal Anthropological Perspective’, edited by Monique Nuijten and Gerhard Anders (Ashgate 2007). Turner argues in his chapter that people in conflict and post-conflict societies use corruption accusations to discredit political opponents. He also shows that ordinary people use corruption narratives to attempt to look behind the façade of politics and uncover the secret workings of power. In this way corruption, conspiracy, secrecy and power are intricately linked. He will be presenting the chapter at the AAA Annual Meeting in Washington DC, 28th November. http://www.aaanet.org/ ‘Corruption and the Secret of Law’ takes a critical stance towards the normative good governance agenda spearheaded by institutions such as Transparency International and the World Bank. It is argued that by uncritically depicting corruption as an absolute evil, these anti-corruption programs disregard the close relationship that exists between corruption and state power. The book addresses various aspects of a complex and ambivalent phenomenon drawing on studies from different parts of the world including Burundi, China, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico and the USA. The work provides a valuable resource for students, researchers and policy-makers working in this area. For more details, see attached flyer (pdf, 120 KB) or visit www.ashgate.com |
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