Corruption and the Secret of Law A Legal Anthropological Perspective

This volume presents an anthropological perspective on the hidden continuities between corruption and law. The authors argue that the two opposites, corruption and law, are inextricably linked - with the possibility of the former already inscribed into the latter. Taking a critical stance towards the normative good governance agenda spearheaded by institutions such as Transparency International and the World Bank, this volume argues that by uncritically depicting corruption as an absolute evil, these anti-corruption programs disregard the close relationship that exists between corruption and state power. Addressing various aspects of a complex and ambivalent phenomenon, Corruption and the Secret of Law draws on studies from different parts of the world including Burundi, China, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico and the USA and provides a valuable resource for students, researchers and policy-makers working in this area.

Contents: Corruption and the secret of law: an introduction, Gerhard Anders and Monique Nuijten. Part 1 Systemic Corruption and Bureaucratic Itineraries: Hidden acts, open talks. How anthropology can 'observe' and describe corruption, Giorgio Blundo; Deep corruption in Indonesia: discourses, practices, histories, Heinzpeter Znoj. Part 2 The Indeterminacy of the Law and the Legal Profession: Corruption judgments in pre-war Japan: locating the influence of tradition, morality, and trust on criminal justice, Andrew MacNaughton and Kam Bill Wong; Corrupted files: cross-fading defense strategies of a Vesuvian lawyer, Livia Holden and Giovanni Tortora. Part 3 Corruption Accusations and Political Imaginaries: Corruption narratives and the power of concealment: the case of Burundi's civil war, Simon Turner; The orchestration of corruption and excess enjoyment in Western Mexico, Pieter de Vries. Part 4 State Officials in the Twilight Zone: Corruption or social capital? Tact and the performance of guanxi in market socialist China, Alan Smart and Carolyn L. Hsu; Corruption in the US borderlands with Mexico: the 'purity' of society and the 'perversity' of borders, Josiah McC. Heyman and Howard Campbell; Index.

Monique Nuijten, Associate Professor, Rural Development Sociology, Wageningen University and Research Centre, The Netherlands and Gerhard Anders, Senior Lecturer, Institute of Social Anthropology, University of Zurich, Switzerland.