Journal Articles

Journal Articles

Useful journal articles for advocates against counter-extremism and the UK Prevent strategy.

People's Review of Prevent

The People's Review of Prevent

The People’s Review of Prevent is an alternative review to the Government Shawcross Review.

This review provides a voice to the people most impacted by the Prevent Duty.

Prevent is described as ‘safeguarding’ children from harms. However, under Prevent, safeguarding is focused on protecting the wider public from children believed to be ‘risky’, rather than protecting children from harms.

Throughout our report we present case studies that show how real these harms can be and the distress they cause to children and their families and carers.

Where is Palestine in Critical Terrorism Studies? A roundtable conversation

The journal Critical Studies on Terrorism has published a paper including the subject of how Prevent targets activity related to Palestine and Palestinians. Prevent Watch contributed expertise and cases...

Embodying the inquiry: disaster, affectivity, and the localised politics of security

Through an approach of embodying the inquiry, this journal article investigates the scope, recommendations, and forensic investigation of the Manchester Arena Inquiry, and the way it places further responsibility for security on civil...

The psychologisation of counter-extremism: unpacking Prevent

The "psychologisation of counter-extremism" is happening apace; this 2020 journal article argues that this is to evade the charge of racism in managing Muslim political agency. ...

Terrorism and Political Violence: Radicalization’s Core by Zin Darfoufi

Is radicalization inherently conducive to terrorism? This paper addresses this fault-line within discourses on radicalization by analyzing the political awakening and mobilization of British Muslims operating in environments targeted by...

Securitisation, ‘fundamental British values’ and the neutralisation of Muslim dissent

This short journal article by Dr. Khadijah Elshayyal considers the impact of the statutory promotion of ‘fundamental British values’ through Prevent on Muslims in the UK...

Trojan Horse Affair as Rapid Response: Religion, ‘British Values’ and Equalities Teaching in the Context of Prevent

The Birmingham Trojan Horse affair – a supposed plot to Islamicise schools – which hit the headlines in March 2014 has been the main impetus for changes to the Government’s Prevent strategy. The affair was viewed as deriving from a failure...

Producing ‘internal suspect bodies’: Divisive effects of UK counter-terrorism measures on Muslims in Leeds and Bradford

Drawing from interviews with British Muslims living in Leeds or Bradford, Dr Abbas explores how the co-option of Muslim community members to Prevent fractures relations within Muslim communities so that "the terrors of counter-terrorism"...

The Rise and Restraint of the Preventive State

The rise of the Preventive State assumes security as a core function; this journal article considers the drivers, multiple manifestations, and consequences of preventive policies for criminal justice...

Prevent deepens Islamophobia and ‘compromises the Mental Health Act’ in the UK

Post 9/11 Islamophobia and the pathologisation of black people should be tackled as part of the Mental Health Act review, argue former psychiatrist Suman Fernando and researcher Tarek Younis...