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Politics of Exception and Unease: Immigration, Asylum and Terrorism in Parliamentary Debates in the UK

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  • Jef Huysmans
  • Alessandra Buonfino

Abstract

This article analyses how the British political elite has securitised migration and asylum since 9/11 by looking at when and how parliamentary debates linked counter‐terrorism to immigration and/or asylum. The findings suggest that there is considerable reluctance within the political elite to introduce or especially sustain the connection between migration and terrorism too intensely in public debate. The parliamentary debates also show that for understanding the securitising of migration and asylum one cannot focus exclusively on the main security framing that is found in counter‐terrorism debates, which we name ‘the politics of exception’. There is at least one other format, which we call ‘the politics of unease’, that is central to how the British political elite securitises migration and asylum, and contests it, in the public realm.

Suggested Citation

  • Jef Huysmans & Alessandra Buonfino, 2008. "Politics of Exception and Unease: Immigration, Asylum and Terrorism in Parliamentary Debates in the UK," Political Studies, Political Studies Association, vol. 56(4), pages 766-788, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:polstu:v:56:y:2008:i:4:p:766-788
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9248.2008.00721.x
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Anastassia Tsoukala, 2006. "Democracy in the Light of Security: British and French Political Discourses on Domestic Counter-Terrorism Policies," Political Studies, Political Studies Association, vol. 54, pages 607-627, October.
    2. Monica Den Boer & Jörg Monar, 2002. "Keynote Article: 11 September and the Challenge of Global Terrorism to the EU as a Security Actor," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 40(s1), pages 11-28, September.
    3. Anastassia Tsoukala, 2006. "Democracy in the Light of Security: British and French Political Discourses on Domestic Counter‐Terrorism Policies," Political Studies, Political Studies Association, vol. 54(3), pages 607-627, October.
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    Cited by:

    1. Didier Bigo & Elspeth Guild, 2019. "International Law and European Migration Policy: Where Is the Terrorism Risk?," Laws, MDPI, vol. 8(4), pages 1-18, November.
    2. Michelle L. James & Rachel Forrester-Jones, 2022. "Human-Centred Design in UK Asylum Social Protection," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 11(9), pages 1-22, August.
    3. Max Steuer, 2022. "The Extreme Right as a Defender of Human Rights? Parliamentary Debates on COVID-19 Emergency Legislation in Slovakia," Laws, MDPI, vol. 11(2), pages 1-19, February.
    4. Hillman, Arye L. & Long, Ngo V., 2018. "Policies and prizes," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 99-109.

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