Resistance and continence: the military cop as a sacer

Abstract

Non-oficial military policemen are the line of battle of the Military Police inBrazil. In one hand, they are exposed to a public judgment that identifies them as the subjectsof the State’s violence and on the other they are not fully recognized by their corporationbecause of their low position in the institution’s hierarchy. This condition is appreciatedthrough Giorgio Agambem’s concepts of homo sacer, bare life and state of exception, accordingto which contemporary life results in the emptying of the human condition, as only one aspect of social existence becomes absolute. The emptying of the police’s traditional identityis a consequence of pertaining to the protocol of a democratic action, which stands againstthe requirement for efficiency. This Paper emphasizes the paradox in police’s task due to thenew demands of a society that wants to be democratic, therefore it states the urgent need torethink police’s job. Although being an essay, this paper is indirectly based on other researchdone by the author.