To go to jail together: I have a dream

In this online seminar by Dr Agozino, a key question is considered: whether the history of decolonization poses challenges to Criminologists, Sociologists, Political Sociologists and the general public who approach identity politics with the assumption of zero-sum games - who gets what, when, and how? Groups of people are presumed to be in competition for scarce resources. So, those who feel relatively deprived will organize to secure more resources for their interest groups, while those who are privileged will mobilize to defend their privileges and exclude others.

In this seminar, I (Dr Agozino) will follow Martin Luther King Jr in theorizing that injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere and I observe that the racist prison industrial complex does not affect only Black people adversely. When I see many White people support the campaign of Black Lives Matter in the US and around the world, I do not see them as doing charitable work for Black people. As Martin Luther King Jr. Prophesied during the march on Washington speech, people of all racial backgrounds will have 'to go to jail together' in racist-sexist-imperialist societies, though Black people remain over-represented.

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This series is part of the Race Matters Network (British Society of Criminology) and organised by Dr Monish Bhatia (Department of Sociology, University of York). All events are hosted online, free to attend and open to the public.

About the speaker

Dr Onwubiko Agozino, a professor of sociology at Virginia Tech, is a scholar-activist who values inclusive excellence and diversity with critical attention focused on people of African descent and other marginalized groups around the world. He emphasizes race, class, and gender issues in his contributions to learning, discovery, and community engagement beyond the boundaries of the classroom.

Keen to learn more? You can read Dr Agozino's blog.