UC Santa Barbara

This dissertation is composed as a series of distinct essays. Each essay is fixed within the history of political thought, but also attuned to the most pressing of present-day political problems. Historical figures studied include: G.W.F. Hegel, Karl Marx, Friedrich Nietzsche, Michel Foucault, and David Graeber; however, many other philosophical figures play foundational roles in the thoughts herein. There is particular attention given to a conceptual analysis of the “police.” Police haunt the history of political theory as an all-pervasive, intangible presence, whose underlying force portends the worst excesses of violence. There is general recognition that there is presently a crisis of policing, both here in the United States and abroad. This dissertation aspires to be an example of social movement drive theorizing. Social movements have taught me more valuable lessons than any political theorist. In particular, my thinking in these pages is inspired by, but also in response to, the slogans and narratives associated with the police abolition movement. Simple narratives and slogans are employed by conservatives, liberals, and abolitionists alike. I argue that historical and theoretical complexity can benefit social movements by challenging received wisdom and transforming common sense beliefs. I claim the mantle of a vulgar and pessimistic abolitionism that is less interested in defending the cause than questioning its precepts.