Chair: Dr Amanda Chisholm

Speaker: Sofia Patel

 

Abstract

Counterterrorism discourses are constructed by actors and political institutions using words and symbols, formally and informally – visibly and invisibly. This paper traces the construction of these discourses and practices by analysing how the language and practice of counterterrorism is constructed through gendered securitisation discourses.

I argue that power relations are at the heart of institutions of counterterrorism, which are underpinned by norms and conventions on the one hand and regularised patterns of interaction between actors on the other. I use the theoretical agendas and methods of New Institutionalism, Feminist Institutionalism and Feminist Security Studies to create a framework through which I can examine gendered counterterrorism institutions.

The objective of this paper is to be able to map out the infrastructure of counterterrorism institutions in the UK to empirically trace the evolution of women as actors and targets within discourses and practices of British counterterrorism.

 

Bio

Sofia Patel is a doctoral candidate at King’s College London in the Department of War Studies. Her research focuses on gender and counterterrorism with a particular focus on the UK’s counterterrorism infrastructure. Prior to embarking upon doctoral studies, Sofia worked as a counterterrorism analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute in Canberra. Additionally, Sofia has worked in national security research with UK based think tank RUSI and in Human Security at QinetiQ. Sofia holds a BA from the University of Manchester in Arabic and Spanish and an MA from SOAS, University of London in Middle Eastern Politics.

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