Securitizing Islam examines the impact of 9/11 on the lives and perceptions of individuals, focusing on the ways in which identities in Britain have been affected in relation to Islam. 'Securitization' describes the processes by which a particular group or issue comes to be seen as a threat, and thus subject to the perceptions and actions which go with national security. Croft applies this idea to the way in which the attitudes of individuals to their security and to Islam and Muslims have been transformed, affecting the everyday lives of both Muslims and non-Muslims. He argues that Muslims have come to be seen as the 'Other', outside the contemporary conception of Britishness. Reworking securitisation theory and drawing in the sociology of ontological security studies, Securitizing Islam produces a theoretically innovative framework for understanding a contemporary phenomenon that affects the everyday lives of millions.
• Proposes a new relationship between ontological security studies and securitization studies • Provides a detailed case study of Britishness and of the 'failure' of integration • Connects with real world political debates
Contents
Introduction; 1. Ontological security and Britishness; 2. A post-Copenhagen securitisation theory; 3. 'Two World Wars and one World Cup': constructing contemporary Britishness; 4. 'New Britishness' and the 'new terrorism'; 5. The construction of ontological insecurity; Conclusion.
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