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What would you do? Everyday conceptions and constructions of counter-terrorism

What would you do? Everyday conceptions and constructions of counter-terrorism. Lee Jarvis and Michael Lister l.jarvis@uea.ac.uk and mlister@brookes.ac.uk. Counter-terrorism and the everyday. Public conceptions of how terrorism should be countered:

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What would you do? Everyday conceptions and constructions of counter-terrorism

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  1. What would you do? Everyday conceptions and constructions of counter-terrorism Lee Jarvis and Michael Lister l.jarvis@uea.ac.ukand mlister@brookes.ac.uk

  2. Counter-terrorism and the everyday • Public conceptions of how terrorism shouldbe countered: • What CT strategies do publics identify and discuss? • How are these strategies framed and justified? • Why might the public imagination matter for security politics? • Focus group methodology: • Our question: ‘If you were in government what would you do about terrorism?’ • Findings specific to, and situated in, this focus group context (see Jackson & Hall 2013).

  3. ‘That’s what I would do if I was ruling Britain today. Unfortunately I’m not’ • Sheer difficulty of countering terrorism: • ‘It’s a massive question’ (London, white, male) • ‘I have absolutely no idea’ (London, white, female) • ‘I think even with time, I don’t think I’d know what to do’ (Oxford, white, female) • Seek better understanding/knowledge: • ‘Find out if there is a problem first. You know, is there genuinely a problem’ (Birmingham, Asian, male) • ‘If we sit down with a radicalised person, we will learn something from him’ (London, Asian, male) • ‘Call all the experts up…who are the social scientists that we’re calling?’ (London, black, female)

  4. ‘There should be another way’

  5. ‘There should be another way’

  6. Why should we care? • 2 possible objections • Publics might lack knowledge and influence • Yet, longstanding political enthusiasm for public participation in political decision-making (e.g. Lowndeset al 2001) • Discussion often extended some way beyond CT • Yet, our participants deemed their contributions relevant

  7. On political disconnection • 2 widespread claims to political disconnection: • Public disenchantment with mainstream politics • ‘large sections of the public are more distrustful, disengaged, sceptical and disillusioned with politics than ever before’ (Flinders 2010: 309). • Securitization diminishes public debate and scrutiny • Engaging with public imaginations: • Casts (some) doubt on each of these claims: • Neither disengaged nor disadvantaged • May shed light on how publics conceptualise (security) politics • Likely to impact on participants’ understanding of politics

  8. Thanks for your time! • Research project: • http://www.esrc.ac.uk/my-esrc/grants/RES-000-22-3765/read • Forthcoming book: • Jarvis, L. & Lister, M. (2015) Anti-terrorism, Citizenship and Security. Manchester: Manchester University Press.

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