The Fight for Life in the Face of U.S. Necropower

Abstract

Necropower, defined as that which is capable of producing and administering death, has its highest First-World expression in the United States and is characterized by facilitating the use of technologies for death to nativist groups, neo-Nazis, supremacists, and groups who are anti-immigrant, anti-abortion, and pro-arms sales, among others. This article looks at the case of the Afro-American community in the United States to show how the country, led by Donald Trump, maintains a necropower that is only distinguished from post-colonial states in its use of law to create spaces for death instead of using legal exceptions. The author also underlines the role of the #BlackLivesMatter movement as a path for resistance in favor of life.