Photographic exhibition on Authoritarianism, Law, and the Remaking of Society

Wolfson Gallery, Soas Library

4th June to end of September

Authoritarian states and leaders across the world have premised the centralisation of their power on the targeting of certain groups in their societies. This targeting often takes the form of ordinary legal and bureaucratic practices that impact on everyday life. Though these legal forms may appear mundane, their consequences can be severe: a missing document can lead to lifelong incarceration for being an illegal migrant; renting a home in a neighbourhood dominated by a different community can lead to the eviction of a family; a joke that goes viral on social media can land you in prison for terrorism offences; being in a relationship can be an offence. How do we picture the remaking of society when authoritarian rule is exercised through the ordinary—through paperwork, procedures, and the quiet force of law? And how do we picture the response by people to this remaking of the social?

Image credit: Mamoon Bhuyan

The exhibition consists of photographs taken during fieldwork by scholars from across the globe conducting research on how authoritarian legality unfolds in everyday life. They and other scholars will be presenting their work at a two-day workshop on the 19th and 20th of June 2025 at SOAS. This exhibition and the workshop are part of a SOAS-based project titled “The Social Life of Law in Authoritarian Contexts” which is funded by the Leverhulme Trust.

The exhibition is housed in the Wolfson Gallery on the ground floor of the SOAS library between the entrance and the stairs. It will be on display from the 4th of June till the end of September 2025.