The discursive construction of EU counter-terrorism policy: writing the ‘migrant other’, securitisation and control

Baker-Beall, C. ORCID: 0000-0003-4641-4463, 2009. The discursive construction of EU counter-terrorism policy: writing the ‘migrant other’, securitisation and control. Journal of Contemporary European Research (JCER), 5 (2), pp. 188-206. ISSN 1815-347X

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Abstract

This article argues that the EU counter-terrorism policy reflects a deep-rooted mistrust or fear of the ‘migrant other’. The first half of the article focuses on the discursive construction of terrorism and the concept of securitisation. Drawing on Foucault and in line with scholars such as Campbell (1992), Milliken (1999) and Hülsse and Spencer (2008) the concept of discourse advocated here is one that is above individual discourse participant; the EU is a place where power/knowledge meets and is refracted back into social and political life. An alternative conception of securitisation is offered in order to demonstrate the processes involved in the discursive construction of the ‘migrant other’ as a security threat. The second half of the article will identify two meta-narratives linked to the construction of the ‘migrant other’ within the EU counter-terrorism policy. The first of these narratives constructs the ‘terrorist other’ as a threat to the globalised, ‘open’ society of the EU. This has the implicit effect of constructing and conflating the ‘migrant other’ with the threat of terrorism. The second meta-narrative that will provide the focus of analysis is a contingency-based discourse that constructs the ‘migrant other’ as in need of control in order to prevent the possibility of future terrorist attacks.

Item Type:	Journal article
Publication Title:	Journal of Contemporary European Research (JCER)
Creators:	Baker-Beall, C.
Publisher:	UACES
Date:	2009
Volume:	5
Number:	2
ISSN:	1815-347X
Divisions:	Schools > School of Social Sciences
Record created by:	EPrints Services
Date Added:	09 Oct 2015 10:47
Last Modified:	09 Jun 2017 13:39
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/18179

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