Introducing Manus Prison theory: knowing border violence

ABSTRACT

Manus Prison theory is a coherent intellectual, creative and political project inspired over four years of ongoing research and organizing between Behrouz Boochani and Tofighian in what we refer to as a shared philosophical activity. Similar collaboration, consultation and sharing precede the project and include networks of scholarship and collective action. The theory has experienced a heightened interest and urgency since the release of No Friend but the Mountains: Writing from Manus Prison by Boochani (2018) and after winning prestigious awards. It aims to analyse the detention industry by identifying its connections with other forms of violence and domination; this approach focuses on how systems of oppression are interconnected, mutually reinforcing and multipliable. By considering an intersectional and decolonial approach and framing the analysis of Manus Prison within the discourse pertaining to kyriarchy we expose how border violence is rooted in Australia’s colonial imaginary and pervades socio-political structures and institutions.

KEYWORDS:

• Manus Prison
• Behrouz Boochani
• refugees
• kyriarchy
• border violence
• decolonial resistance

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1 In this context it is important to recognize the influence and vision of Kurdish philosopher and freedom fighter Abdullah Öcalan; see Öcalan (2015, 2017a, 2017b).

2 Anibal Quijano (2000) introduced the term ‘coloniality’ (sometimes phrased ‘coloniality/modernity’) to describe colonialism and his analysis has been developed further by other decolonial thinkers. His aim was to interpret colonialism not as an event but as a pervasive structure and perpetual process.

3 For examples see the Philosophies of Difference event at RMIT (Melbourne) dedicated to Manus Prison theory, the stream entitled ‘Displacement and Exile as Philosophical Standpoints’ at the 2018 Australasian Society for Continental Philosophy conference (Western Sydney University), and Boochani and Tofighian (2019) in Griffiths Review ‘Crimes and Punishments’.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Omid Tofighian

Omid Tofighian is an award-winning lecturer, researcher and community advocate, combining philosophy with interests in citizen media, popular culture, displacement and discrimination. He completed his PhD in philosophy at Leiden University, Netherlands, and graduated with a combined honours degree in philosophy and studies in religion at the University of Sydney. Tofighian has lived variously in Australia where he taught at different universities; the United Arab Emirates where he taught at Abu Dhabi University; Belgium where he was a visiting scholar at K.U. Leuven; the Netherlands for his PhD; intermittent periods in Iran for research; and in Egypt where he was Assistant Professor at American University in Cairo. His current roles include Adjunct Lecturer in the School of the Arts and Media, UNSW; Honorary Research Associate for the Department of Philosophy, University of Sydney; faculty at Iran Academia; and Campaign Manager for Why Is My Curriculum White? – Australasia. He contributes to community arts and cultural projects and works with refugees, migrants and youth. He has published numerous book chapters and journal articles, is author of Myth and philosophy in platonic dialogues (Palgrave 2016), translator of Behrouz Boochani’s multi-award winning book No friend but the mountains: Writing from Manus Prison (Picador 2018), and co-editor of ‘Refugee Filmmaking’, Alphaville: Journal of Film and Screen Media (2019).