'There is Something in that Water': Race, Nationalism and Legal Violence

34 Pages Posted: 9 Jun 2010

Date Written: June 8, 2010

Abstract

This article analyzes the issue of water contamination in Kashechewan, Ontario, Canada. Through an inquiry into the way in which water contami-nation in one Aboriginal community was handled by the local and federal governments, this article examines processes of ongoing colonialism in Canada.

Drawing on an array of sources, this article explores three features pertinent to this water crisis: historical forms of legal violence, symbolic forms of representation concerning the relationship between nationalism and the governance of race in liberal democracies, and the importance of the case study approach when examining legalized forms of violence. By examining connections between race, nationalism, and legal violence, this article explores the ways in which biopolitical forms of racial governance require an analysis that links legal violence and structural violence to historical and symbolic forms of representation.

Suggested Citation

Murdocca, Carmela, 'There is Something in that Water': Race, Nationalism and Legal Violence (June 8, 2010). Law of Social Inquiry, Vol. 35, No. 2, 2010, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1622315

Carmela Murdocca (Contact Author)

York University ( email )

Toronto
Canada

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