Bearing Witness to the ‘Pain of Others’; Public Inquiries, Independent Panels, Holding Institutions to Account – Phil Scraton
‘What to do with such knowledge of faraway suffering? … it seems normal for people to [ignore] the ordeals of others. We don’t get it. We truly can’t imagine how dreadful, how terrifying, and how normal it becomes. Can’t understand, can’t imagine.’ (Susan Sontag, 2002)
From Jimmy Kelly’s death in Huyton Police Station in 1979 to current research into babies’ deaths and disappearances from Ireland’s mother and baby institutions, Phil Scraton’s work has spanned five decades, exposing institutional abuses of power. His research with families and survivors confronts authoritarianism, challenges official narratives, and highlights the failures of state justice. He argues that critical researchers and human rights lawyers have a responsibility to uncover the truth—the foundation of hope, resistance, and change.
Phil Scraton is Professor Emeritus at Queen’s University Belfast, with visiting professorships in Sydney, Auckland, and Amherst. His research focuses on contested deaths, state accountability, incarceration, and children’s rights. His widely published work includes Hillsborough: The Truth, Power, Conflict and Criminalisation, and The Violence of Incarceration. He led the Hillsborough Independent Panel’s research team and was a consultant for the BAFTA-winning ESPN/BBC documentary Hillsborough. In recognition of his work on Hillsborough, Phil was awarded the Freedom of the City of Liverpool. He refused an OBE. Phil is a great friend and supporter of Wow, and we look forward to welcoming back for 2025.
In partnership with: Libraries, Museums and Galleries University of Liverpool.