Paper Work: Immigration, Islamophobia and Bureaucracy w/ Josef Burton
Summary
Host Gregory Foley interviews former diplomat Joseph Burton on how bureaucracy operationalizes state violence, specifically through Islamophobia. Burton reframes Islamophobia not as mere prejudice but as institutional practices rooted in post-colonial anxieties and elite European anti-Semitism. They discuss Burton’s experience in the State Department, the "Muslim Ban," and how administrative structures legitimize systemic bigotry against Muslims and immigrants.
Topics discussed
Introduction and guest Joseph Burton's background
Bureaucracy as an apparatus of violence
Joseph's journey into diplomacy and the State Department
The 'violence worker' and internalizing state power
Defining Islamophobia beyond cultural prejudice
Civilizational narratives and sexual projections
Bureaucratic procedures and visa officer training
Islamophobia as zombie anti-communism
European roots and post-colonial anxieties
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