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Torture: The grand conspiracy
Torture as a political tool
- GenresHistoryNonfiction
342 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1978
2 people are currently reading
31 people want to read
About the author
Malise Ruthven
39 books23 followersMalise Ruthven is the author of Islam in the World, The Divine Supermarket: Shopping for God in America, A Satanic Affair: Salman Rushdie and the Wrath of Islam and several other books. His Islam: A Very Short Introduction has been published in several languages, including Chinese, Korean, Romanian, Polish, Italian and German.
A former scriptwriter with the BBC Arabic and World Services, Dr Ruthven holds an MA in English Literature and a PhD in Social and Political Sciences from Cambridge University. He has taught Islamic studies, cultural history and comparative religion at the University of Aberdeen, the University of California, San Diego, Dartmouth College, New Hampshire and Colorado College.
Now a full-time writer, he is currently working on Fundamentalism: A Very Short Introduction and Arabesque and Crucifix, a study in comparative religious iconography.
A former scriptwriter with the BBC Arabic and World Services, Dr Ruthven holds an MA in English Literature and a PhD in Social and Political Sciences from Cambridge University. He has taught Islamic studies, cultural history and comparative religion at the University of Aberdeen, the University of California, San Diego, Dartmouth College, New Hampshire and Colorado College.
Now a full-time writer, he is currently working on Fundamentalism: A Very Short Introduction and Arabesque and Crucifix, a study in comparative religious iconography.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 7, 2017
A stark book on the origins and reality of torture. Not for the squeamish, Ruthven examines the torture in multiple periods including the Inquisition, British India, Stalin's Russia, and the Salem witch trials; and he also examines the consequences from employing torture as a means of gaining information as well as punishment.
February 12, 2021
I very much enjoyed the author's presentation of the horrors of degenerated governments and the psychology behind torture as a state's expression of policy. I think my greatest takeaway was how often states use the pretext of the grand conspiracy to separate citizens from their wealth and the willingness of the population to accept this, especially if blood is being spilled.
April 13, 2025
you had me then you lost me 🗡
it started off really strong but then it plummeted into a dry textbook language where I couldn't retain any information due the vocabulary and tone. but starting off with a torture case and the complicated philosophy and law questions surrounding it was captivating enough to keep me going
it started off really strong but then it plummeted into a dry textbook language where I couldn't retain any information due the vocabulary and tone. but starting off with a torture case and the complicated philosophy and law questions surrounding it was captivating enough to keep me going
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews