Emergence of 'Extremism': Exposing the Violent Discourse and Language of 'Radicalisation'

The idea that the expression of radical beliefs is a predictor to future acts of political violence has been a central tenet of counter-extremism over the last two decades. This book argues that this concept is fundamentally flawed and that the fear of being labeled as an extremist has resulted in counter-terrorism strategies that undermine moderating mechanisms in a democracy. By combining critical discourse analysis with critical realism, the book shows how the language of counter-extremism can promote violence and presents a model for how discourse analysis and critical realism can engage with the political to affect meaningful change.

\n Format: Paperback / softback
\n Length: 248 pages
\n Publication date: 21 October 2021
\n Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
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Over the past two decades, the notion that the expression of radical beliefs serves as a predictor of future acts of political violence has been a fundamental principle of counter-extremism. This has placed an obligation on medical professionals, educators, and teachers to inform on the radical ideologies of their patients and students. Moreover, as this book contends, this concept is fundamentally flawed. Drawing from his personal experience with the UK's Prevent program while teaching in a Muslim community, Rob Faure Walker delves into the linguistic emergence of extremism in political discourse and the potentially harmful generative effect of this language. By adopting a novel approach that combines critical discourse analysis with critical realism, this book demonstrates how the fear of being labeled as an extremist has led to counter-terrorism strategies that undermine the moderating mechanisms of a democracy. Faure Walker analyzes the generative mechanisms by which the language of counter-extremism might promote violence, explaining how understanding the potentially oppressive properties of language can help us transcend them. The outcome is an imminent critique of the most pernicious aspects of the global War on Terror, those that are embedded in our everyday language and political discourse. Drawing on the author's successful lobbying efforts against counter-extremism, this book presents a model for how discourse analysis and critical realism can and should engage with the political, and how this will ultimately lead to meaningful change.

\n Weight: 320g\n
Dimension: 216 x 138 (mm)\n
ISBN-13: 9781350199507\n \n