The Long Shadow of Torture with Darius Rejali [On Being]

The Long Shadow of Torture

November 4, 2010

One of the world's leading experts on torture, Iranian-American political scientist Darius Rejali discusses, in particular, how democracies change torture and are changed by it. In the wake of Wikileaks revelations about torture in U.S.-occupied Iraq, we explore how his knowledge might deepen our public discourse about such practices — and inform our collective reckoning with consequences yet to unfold.

About the Image

Three Cambodian girls view photos of victims of torture at the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum in Phnom Penh. The site is a former high school that was converted into a prison by the Khmer Rouge in the 1970s.

(photo: Tang Chin Sothy/AFP/Getty Images)

Program Details

Unheard Cuts

» Unedited Interview with Rejali (mp3, 109:26)

Hear the Music

» Show Playlist ¦ listen to full-length tracks of each song played in the program

About the Image

(photo: Tang Chin Sothy/AFP/Getty Images)

Krista's Prep

Want to dig deeper? Find out more? For this show, we gathered a lot of background material for Krista and staff to use in preparing for her interview. Here's a sample of the information we used.

Pertinent Posts from the On Being Blog

» Whistleblowers, Resistors, and Defectors
Two examples of individuals who confronted the status quo, and were ultimately vindicated.

» "Violence pretty much forces a silence on people."
We talk about torture in the abstract, but do we consider the actual acts of torture and the violence that they are?

» "Torture" vs. "Enhanced Interrogation"
What should be the role of public media in labeling interrogation behavior as torture?

» Rejali Reprise and Why Resistors Resist
Hear an excerpt of an American RadioWorks interview with Rejali about those who resist the pressure of group-think in a "torture bureaucracy."

» "All Words Have Connotations"
A New York Times editorial sheds light on the difficulties of covering torture and interrogation.

» A Guest with a Personal Interest in the Torture Debate
A passage from Torture and Democracy with a view of Rejali's personal stake in this subject.

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