The 'Show' in the Show Trials: Contextualizing the Politicization of the Courtroom

Barry Law Review, Vol. 15, No. 1, 2010

Posted: 13 Feb 2011

See all articles by Awol Kassim Allo

Awol Kassim Allo

The London School of Economics and Political Science

Date Written: September 1, 2010

Abstract

Questioning the indifference of the law to its own normative correctness and its claim to legitimacy, this article explores the epistemological and ontological foundations upon which the concept and lexicon of show trial is predicated. By invoking the theory of performativity, the article distinguishes between the different models of show trials to allow for a more complex and nuanced reading of the particular nature of the show in judicial practices often called "show trials." By emphasizing the peculiarity of the "show" in each "show trial," the article seeks to reconceptualize the ambit of the criminal trial. Arguing against the emphasis on the label, it seeks to go beyond the semantics to reveal what is concealed in the invocation of the discourse of justice. It then goes on to analyze the ability of the criminal trial to survive radical political agendas aimed at shaping events outside the courtroom. The article will conclude with some reflections on the interrelation-ship between the juridical purposes of the trial, the nature of strategized communication, and the performative trial.

Keywords: The Show Trial, The Moscow Show Trial, Didactic Trial, The Pedagogic Trial, Performativity, Normativity, Criminal Justice

Suggested Citation

Allo, Awol Kassim, The 'Show' in the Show Trials: Contextualizing the Politicization of the Courtroom (September 1, 2010). Barry Law Review, Vol. 15, No. 1, 2010, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1760568

Awol Kassim Allo (Contact Author)

The London School of Economics and Political Science ( email )

Houghton Street
Tower 2, Floor 11, Room D
London, Scotland WC2A 2AE
United Kingdom

HOME PAGE: http://www.gla.ac.uk/departments/schooloflaw/staff/researchstudent/alloa/

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