Law and Disorder

For those readers who have not yet had the pleasure of reading Illan rua Wall's highly original brand of critical legal theory: you are in for a real treat. Paradoxically, this jostling theoretical maelstrom of a book, makes you sit still in wonder. By turns funny, erudite, playful and intensely creative on every single page, this is a masterful account of atmosphere, of the politics of the crowd, and of sovereignty. - Ben Golder, University of New South Wales, Australia Law and Disorder is many books. It is a theory of protest, an exploration of the shifting affects of crowds, a methodological weapon and a moving manual for resistance. It explores the subversion of sovereignty as well as the ways that it makes itself present. It is best read with an openness to the political quality of Wall's writing and its destabilizing reimagining of possibilities. - Carolina Olarte, University of the Andes, Bogota, Colombia This is a rare feat of a book, managing to be both politically rousing and affectively engaging, both revolutionary and quietly eavesdropping on the world's goings-on. Illan rua Wall has produced a text of deep sensitivity, enabling us to rethink of the atmospheric affects of public order as an integral part of the sovereign mechanism; placing crowds and protest in the core of the affective life of the populace. - Andreas Philippopoulos-Mihalopoulos, University of Westminster, UK