Counterterrorism discourses and practices in Western Europe: institutions, societies, and citizenship in the shadow of new security threats

Abstract

In the last decade and a half, counterterrorist discourses and practices have transformed in Western Europe. Although the phenomenon of terrorism has been widely studied, the study of counterterrorism in Europe remains poorly studied and theorized. The present doctoral thesis by compendium seeks to fill the gap in the literature on the effects of counterterrorist policies and practices both at the institutional level and on societies and their citizens. This doctoral thesis defines terrorism as any violent action aimed at instigating political, social, ideological, or religious change as well as the preservation of the status quo or its regression. Similarly, counterterrorism means those decisions, actions, speeches, and practices aimed at combating terrorism and its effects. The objective of the thesis is to analyse how counterterrorist discourses and practices have changed in Western Europe in the last decade and a half. To answer this question, this thesis uses discourse analysis in the French case (2012-2023) and on the foreign fighter’s issue, as well as the case study methodology in the Spanish case (2011-2023). For the French case and on the issue of foreign fighters, we have chosen discourse analysis as a methodology because it allows us to capture how certain phenomena, subjects, and objects are constructed, silenced, or maintained as problematic by certain actors. Regarding the case study, it allows us to study a critical case such as the Spanish one, characterized by a long counterterrorist history and with important changes since 2011. Data collection has relied on semi-structured interviews and supplementary primary and secondary resources. The thesis concludes by highlighting the growing importance, both at a theoretical and empirical level, of the relationship between citizenship and security. This doctoral thesis has shown how the Western European counterterrorism field has reorganized and adapted to the threat of jihadist terrorism. Faced with this threat, Western European counterterrorism individualizes the terrorist subject and constructs him/her as someone violently radicalized. This turns citizens, especially certain groups, into objects of individual surveillance and supervision (including medical and psychological treatments) given their violent potential. At the same time, counterterrorism is increasingly displaced and decentralized to the local level, and new actors are included to address the threat of ‘radicalization’.

Date of Award	8 Nov 2024
Original language	English
Supervisor	Elisabeth Johansson Nogues (Director)