“No punishment is enough for monsters”: vindictiveness as an important political emotion in dealing with Belgian (potential) returnee men

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Building on the call to further integrate emotions in critical security and terrorism studies, we explore the ways emotions figure in media discourses and shape responses and policies on the returnee question. Through critical discourse analysis and thick description, we show how Belgian (potential) returnee men were subject to varying securitising discourses and emotional portrayals in media coverage over the past decade. Our argument contends that media discourse(s) on the returnee question exhibit a complex emotional landscape. We discern dominant, alternative and rising emotions that undergird the media coverage. We will illustrate how the “dominant” emotion of fear oscillated with an “alternative” emotion of vulnerability and, over the course of a decade, was accompanied by a “rising” emotion of vindictiveness. We argue that the cultivation of vindictiveness contributes to securitising narratives that portray Belgian (potential) returnee men as irredeemable monsters deserving of extreme punishments. This rising discourse undermines democratic principles and the rule of law. We speak of political emotions because emotions are deeply intertwined with power dynamics, societal structures, and political processes, which shape collective attitudes, behaviours, and policies towards (potential) returnees.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1-23
Number of pages23
JournalCritical Studies on Terrorism
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 24 Oct 2024

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
We would like to thank the anonymous reviewers of the Critical Studies on Terrorism Journal, for their constructive input that helped us sharpen our argument. We also thank the participants of the panel \u201CViolence, Hate Speech, and Extremism\u201D for their meaningful recommendations on how to delineate our article. This work was supported by the BELSPO BRAIN-be 2.0 Belgian Research Action through Interdisciplinary Networks under Grant number B2/202/P3/REGUIDE.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Keywords

  • Terrorism
  • Politics of emotion
  • Media discourses
  • Muslim masculinities
  • Returnees
  • Racialization
  • Foreign Fighters
  • Security

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