| Professor Brian Martin at the UniShop for the launch of his book J... Professor Brian Martin at the UniShop for the launch of his book Justice Ignited: The Dynamics of Backfire |
New book highlights dynamics of backfire
20 Mar 2008 | Bernie Goldie
Attacks can backfire on attackers -- sometimes spectacularly.
That’s a clear message from a new book, Justice Ignited: The Dynamics of Backfire, by Professor Brian Martin of UOW’s School of Social Sciences, Media and Communication and launched this week at the UniShop.
In March 1991, an observer videotaped several Los Angeles police beating Rodney King with their batons. Shown on television, the beating caused enormous damage to the reputation of the police and led to the chief's resignation.
Justice Ignited highlights how this incident and others, such as the 2003 invasion of Iraq and the 1965 surveillance of Ralph Nader, prove that all sorts of attacks can backfire, from torture and massacres to job dismissals and reprisals against whistleblowers.
Professor Martin’s latest book, through numerous detailed case studies, presents the first comprehensive treatment of the dynamics of backfire.
Understanding backfire -- both promoting and inhibiting it -- is vitally important for activists and indeed anyone who wants to be effective in the face of injustice, according to the author.
Professor Martin is the author of 12 books and hundreds of articles in a broad range of areas including war and peace, scientific controversies, information issues, dissent, democracy and strategies for social movement.
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