Existential Threat or Undue Security Talk? The response of the general public on securitizing moves
Keywords
No Thumbnail Available
Authors
Issue Date
2021-09-01
Language
en
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
This thesis is concerned with the reactions of the general public in the process of securitization. Taking the securitization of the issue of foreign fighters in the Netherlands as case study, this thesis examines how the general public reacts to securitizing moves and based on what reasoning. Through the use of Qualitative Content Analysis, this thesis investigates the dynamics between the general public and securitizing moves. This study shows that the general public tends to emphasize collective memories, the Zeitgeist and national identity in its reactions to securitizing moves. In contrast, no attention seems to be paid to the social capital of the securitizing actor, which based on the literature was initially expected to play an important role. Furthermore, reactions of the general public are representative of a two-stage pattern of securitization, in which the first stage focuses on the extent to which the issue is an existential threat (‘securityness’), and the second concerns the question whether the issue necessitates extraordinary measures (‘extraordinaryness’). The results also indicate that the general public is likely to call for more measures to deal with the perceived existential threat, and to react strongly to any opposition against securitizing moves. Overall, the results show that the general public does not blindly accept securitizing moves, but instead reacts in a variety of manners. This thesis contributes to securitization theory by focusing on the existing scope of reactions and examining what patterns can be recognized. It paves the way for further research on the role of the audience within the securitization framework. As this thesis shows, the long-held perception of the audience as a passive subject of securitization is unjustified. Instead, the audience is alive and kicking.
Description
Citation
Supervisor
Faculty
Faculteit der Managementwetenschappen