>>>> INTRODUCTION // THE POLITICS OF CATEGORIES
My interest in social science and theory started when I first found out about social constructivism, and it has remained a central focus ever since. I have been captivated by the social power of categories and how they shape our understanding of the world, as explored by thinkers such as Mead, Berger & Luckmann, Bourdieu, Searle, Butler, and Latour. My research is primarily driven by a fascination with the mechanisms of social “magic” that construct identities, as well as the ways individuals and groups navigate, accept, or resist these dynamics. Below is an overview of the various projects I have worked on.
>>>> SECURITY VISION
My current research focuses on the algorithmic politics of computer vision in the field of security: i.e. how facial recognition, biometric remote identification, automated social media content moderation construct identities differently than in the past – through a cinematic rather than photographic logic – and how new strategies are available to resist these practices of power.
The project is supported by an ERC Consolidator Grant – which allows me to work in a great team with fantastic people like Ruben van de Ven, Cyan Bae and Elka Smith. You can check out the project’s website to know more. MORE ON THE PROJECT —–> HERE
Within this project I’m currently developing a visual ethnography of AI, temporarily entitled Encoded Violence
>>>> POLICED MULTICULTURALISM
Before that, I’ve worked for about ten years on the politics of counter-terrorism and counter-radicalisation, thanks to a Marie-Curie Grant and a NWO Veni grant. My main argument here, is that while counter-terrorism and counter-radicalisation were presented as a way to combat the so-called shortcomings of multiculturalism, in fact, these very security policies reinforce the division of society in ethno-religious lines, something I called “politiced multiculturalism”
I published a few articles on this topic, and the research allowed me also to do very interesting policy work for the Centre d’Etudes sur les Conflits for the European Parliament, for the Open Society Foundations (with a great group of co-investigators) and for the Council of Europe, for which I wrote, together with Josh Walmsley, two reports.
>>>> PUBLICATIONS
Articles in peer-reviewed journals
(2023) “Mapping as a Critical Making Practice in International Relations” Global Studies Quarterly, vol 3, issue 4, 1-12
(2023) “Counter-radicalization, Islam and Laïcité: policed multiculturalism in France’s Banlieues” Ethic and Migration Studies, (Article First)
(2020 [Published 2022]) “From Consensus to Diffraction. On Generative Frictions in Mapping Computer Vision Technologies in the Field of Security” Anthrovision. Vol 8.1. (With Ildikó Plájás and Ruben van de Ven)
(2021) “Toward a critique of algorithmic violence” in International Political Sociology, vol 15, no. 1, pp. 121-150 (with Rocco Bellanova, Kristina Irion, Katja Lindskov Jacobsen, Francesco Ragazzi, Rune Saugmann, Lucy Suchman)
(2019) “La lutte contre la ‘radicalisation’”. Genèse et expansion d’un nouveau lieu commun administrative en France et dans l’Union Européenne. Archives de Politique Criminelle, no. 41 (with Laurent Bonelli)
(2017) “Countering terrorism and radicalisation: Securitising social policy?”, Critical Social Policy, (Early Web publication) DOI: 10.1177/0261018316683472
(2016) ‘Suspect Community Or Suspect Category? Counter-Terrorism As ‘Policed Multiculturalism’, Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies. (Early web publication) DOI: 10.1080/1369183X.2015.1121807
(2016) ‘The Paris attacks: magical thinking & hijacking trust’. Critical Studies on Security, Routledge 4(2): 225–228.
(2016) “La lutte contre la radicalisation ou deux formes de la pensée magique”, Mouvements, Mars. http://mouvements.info/la-lutte-contre-la-radicalisation-ou-deux-formes-de-la-pensee-magique/
(2014) with Laurent Bonelli ‘Low-tech Security: files, notes and memos as technologies of anticipation’ Security Dialogue. 45 (5) DOI: 10.1177/0967010614545200 pp. 476-493
(2014) ‘A Comparative Analysis of Diaspora Policies’, Political Geography, 10.1016/j.polgeo.2013.12.004.
(2012) Diaspora Politics and IR: Do We Need to Rethink the Theory? International Political Sociology. (edited the Forum, consisting in short pieces).
(2009) ‘Governing diasporas’, International Political Sociology n° 4 vol. 3. pp. 378–397.
(2007) with c.a.s.e., collective. ‘Europe, Knowledge, Politics Engaging with the Limits: The c.a.s.e. collective Responds’ Security Dialogue, December 1, 2007; 38(4): 559 – 576.
(2007) with Stephan Davidshofer. ‘Guest Editors’ Introduction: Practices of Security and the Political’, Journal of International relations and Development, 10 (4): 327-331
(2006) with c.a.s.e., collective. ‘Critical Approaches to Security in Europe. A Networked Manifesto.’ Security Dialogue, 37 (4):443-487 (contributor and coordinator with Stephan Davidshofer).
(2004) ” ‘The National Security Strategy of the USA’ ou la rencontre improbable de Grotius, Carl Schmitt et Philip K. Dick” [‘The National Security Strategy of the USA’, or the unlikely encounter of Grotius, Carl Schmitt and Philip K. Dick], Cultures & Conflits, no. 56 pp. 141-156
Special Issues
(2017) “Countering terrorism and radicalisation: Securitising social policy” Critical Social Policy, vol 37, issue 2
(2007) with Stephan Davidshofer. “Practices of Security and the Political”, Journal of International relations and Development, 10 (4)
Books
(2019) Co-Edited with Martijn de Koning and Nadia Fadil, Radicalization in Belgium and the Netherlands: Narratives of Violence and Security , London: IB Tauris
(2017) Governing Diasporas in International Relations, Oxon & New York: Routledge
Book chapters
(2024) “Who should be involved with counter-radicalisation policy and practice?” with Josh Walmsley in Joel Busher, Leena Malkki, Sarah Marsden, The Routledge Handbook on Radicalisation and Countering Radicalisation, London: Routledge.
(2020) “The European Union and “Foreign Terrorist Fighters”: Disciplining irreformable radicals?”, in Didier Bigo, Thomas Diez, Evangelos Fanoulis, Ben Rosamond, Yannis A. Stivachtis, The Routledge Handbook of Critical European Studies, Routledge, London.
(2019) “Radicalization: tracing the trajectory of an ’empty signifier’ in the Low Lands” (co-authored with Nadia Fadil & Martijn de Konig) in Nadia Fadil, Martijn de Koning and Francesco Ragazzi, Radicalization in Belgium and the Netherlands: Narratives of Violence and Security, London: IB Tauris
(2017) “The Radicalisation Awareness Network: Producing the EU counter- radicalisation discourse”, co-authored with Diana Davila, in Constitutionalising The Security Union Effectiveness, Rule of Law and Rights in Countering Terrorism and Crime, CEPS, Brussels. https://www.ceps.eu/publications/constitutionalising-security-union-effectiveness-rule-law-and-rights-countering
(2016) “Technology and security practices: situating the technological imperative” co-authored with Julien Jeandesboz and Stephan Davidshofer, in Tugba Basaran, Didier Bigo, Emmanuel-Pierre Guittet, R B J Walker (eds) Perspectives From International Political Sociology: Transversal Lines in International Relations, Oxon & New York: Routledge
(2015) “Policed Multiculturalism? The impact of counter-terrorism and counter-radicalisation and the “end” of multiculturalism” in Heath-Kelly, C., Jarvis, L. Ball, C. Counter-Radicalisation: Critical Perspectives, (Oxon & New York: Routledge)
(2014) “Post-territorial citizenship in post-communist Europe”, in Isin, E. & Nyers, P. (Eds.), Handbook of Citizenship Studies (Oxon & New York: Routledge), 489-497.
(2014) “Your Film in Seven Minutes: Neo-liberalism and the Field of Documentary Film Production”, in van Munster, R. & Sylvest, Casper (Eds.) Documenting World Politics (Oxon & New York: Routledge)
(2014) “Diasporas, Cosmopolitanism and Post-Territorial Citizenship” in Sonika Gupta (ed). Cosmopolitanism: Critical Reflections. London, Routledge
(2013) “Diasporas, Security, Citizenship” in Xavier Guillaume, Jef Huysmans (eds), Citizenship and Security: The Constitution of Political Being, New York, NY, Routledge
(2012) “Diaspora, Cosmopolitanism and Post-territorial Citizenship in Contemporary Croatia ” in Ulrike Ziemer, Sean P. Roberts (eds), East European Diasporas, Migration and Cosmopolitanism, New York, NY, Routledge
(2011) with Bigo, Didier, Julien Jeandesboz and Philippe Bonditti. “Borders and Security: The different logics of surveillance in Europe” In Saskia Bonjour, Andrea Rea and Dirk Jacobs (ed.), The Others in Europe, Brussels (Belgium), Editions de l’Université de Bruxelles. pp. 77-89.
(2010) « Le cas croate: la “dijaspora” comme programme politique » in Stephane Dufoix, Loin des Yeux Près du Cœur, Les Etats et leurs expatriés, Paris, Presses de Sciences Po
(2009). “Le Cas Abu Omar” In Amandine Scherrer, Emmanuel-Pierre Guittet and Didier Bigo (ed.), Mobilité(s) sous surveillance. Perspectives croisées UE-Canada, Outremont (Québec), Athéna éditions.
(2009) with Igor Stiks “Croatian Citizenship: From Ethnic Engineering to Inclusiveness” in R. Bauböck, B. Perchinig and W. Sievers (eds.), Citizenship Policies in the New Europe Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press. pp. 339-363
(2009) with Eduardo Barberis and Bruno Cousin « La Gauche gouvernementale italienne et ses politiques d’immigration [The governmental left in Italy and its immigration policies ] (1992-2001) », in Piero Caracciolo (ed.), Refaire l’Italie : l’expérience de la gauche libérale (1992-2001) Paris, Editions Rue d’Ulm pp. 205-250
(2009) “The Croatian ‘Diaspora Politics’ of the 1990s: Nationalism Unbound?” in Brunnbauer, Ulf, Transnational Societies, Transterritorial Politics. Migrations from the (Post)Yugoslav Area, Oldenbourg Wissenschaftsverlag, pp 145-168
Working and Policy Papers
(2021) Biometric and behavioural mass surveillance in EU member states: report for the Greens/EFA in the European Parliament. Brussels. (with Elif Kuskonmaz, Ildikó Plájás, Ruben van de Ven, Ben Wagner)
(2021) Counter-radicalisation in the classroom: Insights from eight grassroots projects in Council of Europe member states, Council of Europe. Strasbourg (with Josh Walmsley)
(2018) The return of foreign fighters to EU soil: Ex-post evaluation, European Parliament Research Service. Brussels. (with Josh Walmsley)
(2018) Students as suspects? The challenges of counter-radicalisation policies in education in the Council of Europe member states, Council of Europe: Strasbourg. – translated in French: “Élèves ou suspects?: Les enjeux des politiques de lutte contre la radicalisation dans le secteur éducatif des États membres du Conseil de l’Europe”.
(2015) “Commentary to the Guidelines For Prison and Probation Services Regarding Radicalisation and Violent Extremism”, Council of Europe: Strasbourg (PC-CP (2015)
(2015) “The EU and its Counter-Terrorism Policies after the Paris Attacks” co-authored with Didier Bigo, Sergio Carrera, Elspeth Guild, Emmanuel-Pierre Guittet, Julien Jeandesboz, Valsamis Mitsilegas, Amandine Scherrer, CEPS Paper in Liberty and Security in Europe, Brussels: CEPS, no. 84 / November. http://bit.ly/1ZexdUj
(2015) “The EU Counter-Terrorism Policy Responses to the Attacks in Paris: Towards an EU Security and Liberty Agenda” co-authored with Didier Bigo, Sergio Carrera, Elspeth Guild, Emmanuel-Pierre Guittet, Julien Jeandesboz, Valsamis Mitsilegas, Amandine Scherrer, CEPS Paper in Liberty and Security in Europe, Brussels: CEPS, no. 81 / February. http://bit.ly/1kXSrYO
(2014) Towards “Policed Multiculturalism”? Counter-radicalization in France, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, Les Etudes du CERI, no. 206 (bis), September/December, http://bit.ly/1AipRYM
(2014) Preventing And Countering Youth Radicalisation In The EU. Brussels: European Parliament, Directorate General for Internal Policies, Policy Department C: Citizens Rights and Constitutional Affairs. Co-authored with Didier Bigo, Laurent Bonelli and Emmanuel-Pierre Guittet. http://bit.ly/1lqQ3mb
(2014) Review of security measures in the 7th Research Framework Programme FP7 2007-2013. Brussels: European Parliament, Directorate General for Internal Policies, Policy Department C: Citizens Rights and Constitutional Affairs. Co-authored with Didier Bigo, Julien Jeandesboz, Médéric Martin-Mazé. http://bit.ly/1CmLzZm
(2013) National Programmes for Mass Surveillance of Personal Data in Eu Member States and Their Compatibility with Eu Law. Brussels: European Parliament, Directorate General for Internal Policies, Policy Department C: Citizens Rights and Constitutional Affairs. Co-authored with Didier Bigo, Sergio Carrera, Nicholas Hernanz, Julien Jeandesboz, Joanna Parkin, and Amandine Scherrer. http://bit.ly/1aHKpJ7
(2011) with Kristina Balalovska “Diaspora Politics and Post-Territorial Citizenship in Croatia, Serbia and Macedonia”, CITSEE Working Paper 2011/18 (September) ISSN 2046-4096 http://bit.ly/1CmLHrP
(2009), The Invention of the Croatian Diaspora: Unpacking the Politics of “Diaspora” During the War in Yugoslavia, Washington D.C., George Mason University, Global Migration and Transnational Politics Working Paper No. 10, November. 10 p. http://bit.ly/1CmLJA6
(2009) with Amicelle, Anthony, Didier Bigo, Julien Jeandesboz “Catalogue of Security and Border Technologies at use in Europe Today”, INEX Deliverables (EU-Funded Framework Program 7), n° 2.
(2008) with Bigo, Didier, Philippe Bonditti, Julien Jeandesboz (2008) “State-of-Art Review of Scholarly Research on Security Technologies and Their Relation to the Societies Which They Serve”, INEX Deliverables (EU-Funded Framework Program 7), n° 1.
Book reviews
(2015) “Frontiers of fear – immigration and security in the United States and Europe, by Arianne Chebel d’Appolonia”, Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 10.1080/1369183X.2015.1123863
(2011) “Esman, Milton J., “Diasporas in the Contemporary World” (Book Review)”, Journal of Urban Studies, n° 14 vol. 48.
(2007) Bibliographic review « Le Pape M., Siméant J., Vidal C., Crises extrêmes. Face aux massacres, aux urgences civiles et aux génocides » Cultures et Conflits, n°65 (printemps) pp. 165-172
(2004) Bibliographic review « Stéphane DUFOIX, Les Diasporas, » Cultures et Conflits, n° 53
Translations
(2007) Translation from Italian: Cuttitta, Paolo « Le monde-frontière. Le contrôle de l’immigration dans l’espace globalisé », Cultures et Conflits , no. 68
(2004) Translation from Italian: Dal Lago, Alessandro « Polizia Globale », Cultures et Conflits , no. 56
Interactive learning project
(2009) Liberty & Security, Multimedia Teaching and Training Module of the Challenge Programme. (DVD and Website). http://www.libertysecurity.org/module
Liberty & Security” is a multimedia teaching and training module critically engaging with debates about balancing liberty and security in the European Union, including the changing nature of border controls and war. Jef Huysmans and Francesco Ragazzi have integrated findings from CHALLENGE ( The Changing Landscape of European Liberty and Security ), a European Commission funded FP6 project (2004-2009) in a most original combination of texts, videos and audios. Using visual tools and a flexible navigation system they make the complexity and political stakes of contemporary security practices accessible to a wider public. Its modular approach makes it also an excellent tool to support teaching.