Violence and Lies: the exercise of power from the conquest of the Americas to the climates crisis

Date: 18 November 2025
Time: 12:30 - 2pm
Location: Sociology Seminar Room

In this seminar, Dr Posocco will present a preview of his forthcoming book with Routledge: "Violence and Lies. The Exercise of Power from the Conquest of the Americas to the Climate Crisis." 

This work of historical sociology includes seven case studies (the Conquest of the Americas, the Holocaust, the Scramble for Africa, the Holocaust, the War on Terror, 9/11 and the ongoing climate crisis), examining how lies and deception, intertwined with violence, have sustained attempts at domination across the centuries. 

Through the lens of lies and deception, Posocco's goal was to revisit theories of power together with some of the most significant historical events, thereby inviting reflection on urgent questions for our own time.

Speaker biography:

Lorenzo Posocco is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Copenhagen, Centre for Subjectivity Research. He has a background in history and holds a dual PhD in Sociology and Political Science from University College Dublin (UCD) and École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales (EHESS, Paris). 

Previously, he held lecturing and research appointments at University College Dublin and Università di Roma Tor Vergata. He has been a visiting scholar at the University of Cambridge (UK), Princeton University (USA), the University of Graz (Austria), and Yeditepe University (Istanbul, Türkiye),

His research has appeared in numerous journals, with topics spanning nationalism, environment, immigration, war and the memory of past atrocities. Before Violence and Lies, he wrote Museums and Nationalism in Turkey, Croatia and Hungary (Routledge, 2022). In 2022, his article "Nationalism and Environmentalism: The Case of Vauban" co-authored with Iarhflaith Watson, was awarded the Wiley Blackwell Annual Article Prize in Honour of Anthony D. Smith.

In addition to his research, Dr Posocco has designed and delivered courses on topics such as Global Risks, Qualitative Research Methods, Sociology of Tourism and Development at both undergraduate and graduate levels. He is an educator with a commitment to interdisciplinary teaching. His website features all his publications as well as his lectures. 

Access note: Historic building. The seminar room is accessed via two flights of steps/a lift and then a further two flights of stairs accessed through a heavy set of doors. There is no step-free access. The lift is not accessible to wheelchair users, but may assist with other mobility issues.