The Universal Eye: Anarchist “Propaganda of the Deed” and Development of the Modern Surveillance State
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Authors
Shirk, Mark
Publication Date
2019-06-01Journal Title
International Studies Quarterly
ISSN
0020-8833
Publisher
Oxford University Press (OUP)
Volume
63
Issue
2
Pages
334-345
Language
en
Type
Article
This Version
AM
Metadata
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Shirk, M. (2019). The Universal Eye: Anarchist “Propaganda of the Deed” and Development of the Modern Surveillance State. International Studies Quarterly, 63 (2), 334-345. https://doi.org/10.1093/isq/sqy062
Abstract
Recent controversies over bulk data collection remind us of the importance of surveillance as a site of citizen-state interaction.
Surveillance is intimately linked to the nature and scope of the state, but receives comparatively little attention in traditional
work on state formation. I show that the modern surveillance state emerged as a reaction to anarchist “propaganda of the
deed,” which entailed assassinations of political leaders, as well as bombings of cafes, theatres, and landmarks. I theorize this
mutation through a practice conception of state institutions, one that focuses on processes of boundary maintenance and
transformation. I argue that boundary “shattering” constitutes an important mechanism of state transformation, one in which
events or processes render existing boundary-drawing practices useless. The ensuing crisis requires the state to “reinscribe” new
boundaries through the development of new practices.
Embargo Lift Date
2021-03-08
Identifiers
External DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/isq/sqy062
This record's URL: https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/293081
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