Police Power in World History

What are the Police? In this colloquium, we will develop an historical and theoretical understanding of police power from a world historical perspective. Each week is organized thematically and will address a dimension of the history of police power in the modern world, engaging with literature from various regions of the world such as the Americas, Asia, Africa and Europe. Themes will include theoretical discussions of the nature of police power, its unfolding within structures of racial capitalism, the nature of police work, the lives of police workers, the policing forms in colonial empires and in histories of decolonization, police brutality, intelligence history, and urban policing. Students from all disciplinary backgrounds are welcome.