Analysing and challenging representations of female jihadi radicalisation - an Area Studies investigation of the European media

可能的研究领域是“激进化”的概念，目前缺乏关键的学术知识-它与性别的关系，以及它是如何在整个欧洲媒体中传播的。恐怖主义是一个复杂的问题，构成全球安全风险，无法在国家边界内加以解决。特别是，欧洲（即西班牙，英国，法国和比利时）在9/11之后发生了一些重大袭击（获得了媒体的广泛关注）（Nilsson，2018，第17页）。因此，在这些袭击中，大多数欧洲观众，无论其教育和社会地位如何，都有动机与媒体接触。因此，欧洲媒体对如何表述“激进化”的概念有着重大影响。这项研究将重点关注女性。虽然有关于女性的有价值的研究（Saltman & Smith，2015; Pearson & Winterbottom，2017; Ben-Israel，2018），但该领域总体上由男性研究主导。然而，在报道女性时，媒体使用了“性圣战者”，“堕落的女性”，“圣战新娘”和“圣战简”等语言（Mekhennet & Warrick，2017; Gardner 2015）。这些陈述是有问题的，因为它们的证据基础薄弱，但也助长了其他问题。其中最重要的是假设一个过程-“激进化”-在恐怖主义中是普遍存在的，这在关键研究中得到了重申（Bjorgo 2005; Schmid，2005; Koomen &货车Der Pliget，2016）。必须认识到，这一术语仍然存在争议（Coolseat，2011，第208页）。因此，当女性激进化成为焦点时，它不仅受到研究问题的影响，而且在性别和耸人听闻方面受到双重打击。然后，这在媒体上进一步耸人听闻，几乎没有证据-随时开放给公共领域进行解释。性别和性行为是女性激进化的一个原因，这一假设需要系统的社会科学参与，以批判性地分析引起这些现象的基本假设、证据基础和环境。关于英语媒体报道的研究数量有限，更少关注欧洲背景。Nacos（2005年）的一项文本分析发现，性别陈规定型观念，如外表、浪漫和妇女解放的理想，是媒体对女性恐怖分子的描述中的主要主题。同样，Brunner的研究（2005年）表明，媒体代表女性通过身体参与：母性，童贞和她们的身体。布朗（2011年）的定量媒体分析发现，被认为是“宗教主体”的妇女在公共领域被剥夺了代理权。在这些研究中，媒体经常未能认识到妇女是恐怖主义的独立代理人，关注她们的性取向是核心。因此，这一研究领域既是专题，也是当代关键参与的关键关键领域，与公民身份，治理和安全主题集群路径的目标有着独特的联系。与以往围绕性别问题的协调中心不同，这一举措从该地区妇女普遍参与支助作用，超越了“女性自杀式恐怖主义”，转变为对一个无法在国家边界内解决的问题的重要参与。人们继续依赖严格的男女二分法，这对妇女的自主权不公平，这种二分法在政府政策中被放大，在媒体中被耸人听闻-基于很少的研究，并危险地开放给公众解释。该研究领域将通过批判性地评估妇女的媒体代表性，从广泛的欧洲媒体报道中收集定量和定性证据，区域测绘工作，与新闻界的采访以及比较这些代表性在不同的欧洲国家背景下，建立博士研究。它将建立一个证据基础，说明媒体如何描绘妇女，

The probable area of research is the concept of 'radicalisation' which currently lacks critical academic knowledge - its relationship with gender, and how it is mediatised throughout the European media. Terrorism is a complex matter and poses a global security risk that it cannot be addressed within national boundaries. In particular, Europe (i.e. Spain, England, France and Belgium) have seen some of the major attacks (that gained widespread media attention) post 9/11 (Nilsson, 2018, p.17). Therefore, during these attacks most European audiences, regardless of their educational and social status, were motivated to engage with the media. Consequently, the European media has a significant influence as to how the concept of 'radicalisation' is represented. This research will focus on women. While there are valuable studies on females (Saltman & Smith, 2015; Pearson & Winterbottom, 2017; Ben-Israel, 2018) the field is dominated overall by the study of men. Yet, when reporting on women the media utilise language such as 'sex jihadist', 'the fallen women', 'jihadi brides' and 'jihadi Jane' (Mekhennet & Warrick, 2017; Gardner 2015). These representations are problematic given their weak evidence base but also foster other problems. Not least of these is the assumption that a process - 'radicalisation' - is universal in terrorism and this is reiterated in key research (Bjorgo 2005; Schmid, 2005; Koomen & Van Der Pliget, 2016). It is essential to recognise that this term remains contested (Coolseat, 2011, p.208). Therefore, when female radicalisation is the focus, it suffers from, not just the problems of the research, it takes a double hit in being gendered and sensationalised. This is then further sensationalised in the media with little evidence - readily open to the public sphere for interpretation. The assumption that gender and sexuality are a cause of female radicalisation warrants systematic social science engagement to critically analyse the underpinning assumptions, evidence base and settings which give rise to these phenomena. There is a limited amount of research regarding English language media reporting, and even less focusing on the European context. A text analysis by Nacos (2005) found gender stereotypes, such as physical appearance, romance and ideals of women's liberation, to be dominant themes within media representation of female terrorists. Likewise, Brunner's research (2005) suggests that the media represent female participation through corporeality: motherhood, virginity and their bodies. Brown's (2011) quantitative media analysis found that women considered to be 'religious subjects' are denied agency in the public realm. Across these studies, the media regularly failed to recognise women as independent agents in terrorism and a focus on their sexuality is central. Thus, this area of research is both topical, and is a key critical area for contemporary critical engagement that uniquely links with the aims of the citizenship, governance & security thematic cluster pathway. In contrast to previous focal points around gender, this moves from the area's general female participation in support roles, beyond that of "female suicide terrorism", to critical engagement of an issue that cannot be addressed within national boundaries. There is a continued dependence on a stringent male/female dichotomy that does not do justice to the autonomy of women, and this dichotomy is amplified in government policy and sensualised in the media - based on very little research, and dangerously open to public interpretation. This research area will build towards doctoral study by critically assessing the media representations of women, gathering both quantitative and qualitative evidence from a wide range of European media reports, an area mapping exercise, interviews with the press and comparing these representations across different European country contexts. It will build an evidence base of how the media portray women a