Dr. Paul Thomas – Presenting UK Research on ‘Community Reporting Thresholds’

TSAS EVENT

Hosts: Ryerson University & Canadian Network for Research on Terrorism, Security and Society (TSAS)

COMMUNITY REPORTING THRESHOLDS: ‘Sharing information with authorities about violent extremist activity and involvement in foreign conflicts’

The first people to suspect or know that someone is involved in acts of violent extremism, or travel to overseas conflicts, often is those closest to them: their friends and family. However, whilst these ‘intimates’ have a vital role to play against potential terrorist threats, little is known about what ‘reporting’ means for them, including their views, experiences and concerns about coming forward to authorities. The current UK study by the University of Huddersfield and Deakin University of Australia (funded by CREST/ESRC) replicates and develops ground-breaking Australian research on this issue. The study uses qualitative inquiry, using semi-structured in-depth interviews with community respondents and professional practitioners drawn from three metropolitan conurbations at the forefront of Counter-Terrorism policy efforts through the ‘Prevent Strategy.’ Emerging data/findings will be presented.

Speaker Biography:
Dr. Paul Thomas is Professor of Youth and Policy at the University of Huddersfield and Director of Research in the University’s School of Education and Professional Development. Paul’s research focusses on how multiculturalist policies such as Community Cohesion and Prevent, have been understood, mediated and implemented by local policy-makers and educational practitioners.

Paul’s research has been developed in close collaboration with local authorities and their front-line education and community workers. It has led to the books Youth, Multiculturalism and Community Cohesion (2011) and Responding to the Threat of Violent Extremism –Failing to Prevent (2012), and to Paul giving oral evidence to the House of Commons Select Committee Inquiry in to Prevent in 2009. Paul is a qualified youth worker and has previously been involved in antiracist educational work. He is currently researching how the Prevent Duty has been understood and implemented by schools and colleges in England.

May 26, 2017

Ryerson University, Ted Rogers School of Management, Toronto, ON

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