Rethinking violence through ‘‘Toxic Town’’

Netflix drama ‘‘Toxic Town’’ is based on the real-life story of mothers in the former steelworks town of Corby who secured a landmark High Court victory in 2009. The Court found a link between the negligent disposal of toxic waste and disabilities in children - since then, Corby residents have uncovered potential clusters of child cancers, low infant mortality rates, and high infertility. Following public pressure and national news coverage, the local council have finally agreed to investigate.

In this talk, Dr Roxana Willis draws on long-term research from her home council estate in Corby to explore the intergenerational injuries of industry and to question current conceptions of violence in law.

Dr Roxana Willis's research investigates the legal system through the prism of structural inequality, with a focus on class and race. Roxana’s first monograph, A Precarious Life, presents a long-term '‘ethnography at home’' on a disadvantaged housing estate in England. In addition to working within her home community, Roxana is interested in the interconnections between people and continents, and in this vein she examines similar themes of conflict, violence, and structural inequality in the context of Cameroon.

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