Ignacio Mendiola discusses state power relations and violence in Exchange Project Seminar

The seminar Exchange “The display of cinegetics knowledge-power: the violence of security practices in the management of threats”, which took place last October 12, was invited by the researcher Ignacio Mendiola (University of the Basque Country, Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea).

In this seminar, Ignacio Mendiola, addressed the idea of state power relations and violence. The main goal of the presentation was to explore a certain form of power through which threats are fought and which will be analyzed from the metaphor of hunting.

According to Ignacio, the device of power, hunting, from the point of view of security, implies the implosion of borders and these as a space of politics. It creates the need to watch over the “other,” the “enemy.” In this sense, we are increasingly becoming vigilant, as co-participants of the same surveillance system. Nevertheless, the current technologies are developed from the need to take care of the other and a key element is to detect the threats, the clues.

The debate (re)raises some questions related to the social construction of “prey” and “victim” and the notion that in each context the definition of “prey” and “victim” varies. However, the action is the same – “hunting” the enemy – and this is accomplished by those who hold the power.

[Exchange team text, published 10-16-2018]