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The University of Southampton
Geography and Environmental Science

Resisting the Geopolitical Violence of Less Lethality Seminar

Time:
12:00
Date:
8 February 2017
Venue:
Building 44, Lecture Theatre B

For more information regarding this seminar, please email Dr Nathaniel O'Grady at N.O'Grady@soton.ac.uk .

Event details

Everyday, around the world, security forces use tear gas, stun grenades, rubber bullets and other riot control weapons on civilians. Seen as alternatives to traditional arms, these devices are marketed as safe and humane, yet they regularly cause injuries and even deaths. While the United Nations provides regulations and guidelines for the use of force, there is currently no effective legal oversight or international policy regulating the export, trade or use of less lethal arms. In this presentation I draw on my experience across three collaborative projects to look at how researchers and campaigners are using digital tools to render visible the geopolitical violence of ‘less lethal’ weapons. I also explore the possibilities and limitations of using social media to create chains of accountability. Providing both a theoretical framework and reflection on practice, I present our notion of civic forensics -- utilising civic media and participatory geography to help people identify, monitor and record the use (and abuse) of less lethal weapons. Dr Anna Feigenbaum is a Principal Academic in Digital Storytelling at Bournemouth University. She leads the Mapping Tear Gas and RiotID projects with the Omega Research Foundation, Bahrain Watch and Minute Works graphic design. Her forthcoming book Tear Gas: from the battlefields of WWI to the streets of today is out with Verso in summer 2017.​

Speaker information

Anna Feigenbaum, Bournemouth University. Department of Journalism, English and Communication

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