Militarized Policing and the Imperial Boomerang in the US and Britain

Today the police in the United States and Britain are heavily militarized forces wielding the same weaponry, operations, and tactics as armies. But this is not supposed to be. When the modern police were first created, they were meant to be non-militarized and peaceful “civil” police. 

So, what explains this transformation? How and why did the police in liberal democracies become militarized? 

As Julian Go will show in his upcoming AISSR lecture, the answer lies in imperialism past and present, and associated dynamics of racialization and colonial conquest. 

Aftertalk

After his lecture, Julian will discuss his ideas with Rivke Jaffe, Professor of Urban Geography at the AISSR.

Drinks 

Afterwards, there will be time to chat and ask questions over drinks and snacks in CREA Café, from 16:00.

Workshop

The day before, Thursday 16 October at 14:00, Professor Go will host a workshop for PhD candidates and postdocs. We invite participants to give short, five-minute pitches about their research, ending with a question to be addressed by Professor Go and the group. Dr. Go will provide immediate, interactive feedback during the workshop.

Participants may submit either one slide or a short abstract (approx. 150 words) ahead of time. This is optional.

Professor Go welcomes participants from a variety of social science fields, including political science, political theory, and sociology, and offers unique insights into research related to empire, colonialism, postcolonial/decolonial thought, racial capitalism, global historical sociology, and broader questions of social theory, epistemology, and knowledge.

Registration required, email Kevin Pham to sign up. Capacity is limited.

About Julian Go

Julian Go is Professor of Sociology at the University of Chicago. His research focuses on empires, colonialism, and global historical sociology.

His award-winning books include Policing Empires (2023), which examines how imperialism shaped police militarization in Britain and the U.S. He has also published widely on postcolonial theory and global sociology.