‘What does terrorism look like?’: university lecturers’ interpretations of their Prevent duties and tackling extremism in UK universities

Abstract

The UK Counter Terrorism and Security Act (2015) (CTSA) calls for a partnership between the government, individuals, organisations and communities to prevent the radicalisation of individuals and to prevent their participation in terrorist and illegal activities. As part of this strategy, universities have a statutory duty placed upon them to remain vigilant to signs of extremism. Based upon 20 interviews with UK university lecturers, the paper examines reactions of the academic community to this governmental mandate. Key to our understanding is the deputisation of lecturers into a security regime and how they perform the duty of identifying and monitoring extremism. Equally, forms of resistance are evident in how lecturers understand their new roles and for universities themselves a conservative approach to risk may be gaining traction. We argue there is confusion around the CTSA based upon the ambiguous language in which it is presented and the conservative and defensive reactions that have subsequently produced concern amongst lecturers and UK universities.

The Prevent Duty in UK higher education: Insights from freedom of information requests

“…Individuals, most notably within health and education, have been co-opted into the counter-terrorism apparatus not through fear of mass insurgency but because of their significant access to the public (Heath-Kelly, 2017). Staff in UKHE, for example, feel uneasy about what is being asked of them (Spiller, Awan and Whiting, 2018), feeling caught between upholding principles of academic freedom and being obligated to identify signs of radicalisation.…”

“…Absorbing the duty into existing structures such as external speaker protocols or ethical approval of research has resulted in increased monitoring, often in the form of extended processes and additional paperwork (Spiller, Awan and Whiting, 2018). This places a growing burden on staff for whom their primary role is education, research, or administration and not Prevent (Mountz, et al, 2015).…”

“…There were also further examples of 'bureaucratic conservatism' that has been explored in previous research into the duty within UKHE (Spiller, Awan and Whiting, 2018). This term refers to the manner in which the institution is becoming increasingly bureaucratised in such a way that it prioritises risk mitigation over the more straightforward operation of core University functions (for example.…”

“…The duty broadened the coverage of Prevent to include all the people that work within these specified authorities as well as those who 'go through' them -a group that would cover almost the entirety of the population in England, Scotland and Wales. 1 As an extension of an already controversial and criticised strategy (Thomas, 2010;Stevens, 2011;Awan, 2012;Qureshi, 2015;Elshimi, 2017) the duty has also been the recipient of critique and resistance (UCU, 2015: 4;NUS Connect, 2017;Spiller, Awan and Whiting, 2018). The duty's appearance in UKHE has raised concerns about its acting as a form of (racialised) surveillance on campus, its potential to curtail academic freedom and freedom of expression and that it will have a chilling effect on topics both taught and researched (McGovern, 2016;Barrett, 2018).…”

Watching ISIS: How Young Adults Engage with Official English-Language ISIS Videos

“…43 According to U.K. terrorismlegislation, 44 university lecturers (as well as teachers in schools and colleges) have a legal duty to report to the authorities anyone who displays "signs of radicalization" 45 in their classrooms or on the campuses in which they work. 46 If the Muslims we interviewed happened to support ISIS or express positive views about the ISIS videos we wanted to show them, it would be highly unlikely that they would tell us about this, and if they did we would be legally obliged to report this to the authorities. We were also advised that any attempts on our part to recruit Muslims to focus-groups on ISIS videos may be seen by them as stigmatizing by associating them with ISIS.…”