Watts, R: Criminalizing Dissent The Liberal State and the Problem of Legitimacy

"Filling a gap in the social science literature, Rob Watts engages in a powerful defence of the right to dissent, which is defined as fundamental given the irreducible pluralism of ideas in every society. Bridging social theory with empirical analysis of recent forms of criminalization of acts of resistance, he convincingly challenges the myth of liberal democracy as tolerant of disagreement and points at the complex - and not always rational - relations between fear, security and liberalism."

- Donatella della Porta, Professor of Political Science and Political Sociology, European University Institute, Italy

"Rob Watts' Criminalizing Dissent could not appear at a more important moment. In a careful, deliberate manner, he undertakes to explain not just what dissent is and the many forms it can take in liberal democracies, but also why it is so important that we protect it. This is a timeless lesson that seems especially relevant now."

- Sophia Rosenfeld, Walter H. Annenberg Professor of History, University of Pennsylvania, US