Following the paper trails: An examination into the impacts of the Prevent Duty on schools and Muslim communities in London

Counter-terrorism policies in the UK have become a permanent and everyday feature of society. Concerns are not limited to violent extremism but includes the threat of non-violence which could potentially lead to terrorism. In response to this , the Prevent Duty was introduced as a pre-emptive measure to intervene in possible extremism/radicalization cases. The implementation of Prevent in schools in 2015 resulted in significant interest on the reach of the 'security state' in everyday spaces. Prevent requires teachers to monitor students for signs of extremism and radicalization, and there have been reports of children as young as 3 years old being referred. Little research has been conducted on how this policy impacts Muslim teachers and parents and what effect this has on their interaction in schools. My thesis addressed this gap by interrogating how the circulation of Prevent 'sticks' to racialised bodies in the school space. Under Dr Ahmad's mentorship, this fellowship will allow me to build on my PhD research and continue to conduct critical research on existing and emerging counter-extremism policies. The fellowship commences at a critical time in the formation of counter-extremism policies, as it coincides with the Government's review of the Prevent Duty.

Publications
I will submit an article to Critical Sociology (January 2022) and will examine how the circulation of Prevent in schools produces affective encounters for Muslim teachers. I will highlight how the circulation of policies has the potential to transform the way spaces are experienced, thus disrupting suggestions that policies are neutral. I will build on work within political geography and sociology to examine how policies and bureaucratic procedures can inculcate feelings of exclusion and securitisation. The second article will be published in Theory, Culture and Space (May 2022). I will interrogate the idea of 'racialised bureaucracies' and argue that work on bureaucracy overlooks how race influences bureaucratic procedures. I will explore the under-researched concept of intra-bureaucratic relationships to argue that counter-extremism policies exacerbate divisions within the school space based on racialised depictions of extremism. I will use this fellowship to secure a book contract and aim to write and submit a book proposal, along with two sample chapters, to Manchester University Press in December 2021. This book will look at the broader material politics of the War on Terror and how counter-extremism and counter-terrorism policies shape urban space. It will focus primarily on the impacts such policies have on Muslim communities and their engagement with such spaces. I will continue writing commentary pieces for media outlets to increase my public engagement and make my research accessible to a wider audience. I will also work alongside third sector organisations such as the community based organisation Maslaha on a creative output project based on my PhD research. This includes commissioning a poem and a visual artist to create animations. These resources can be used for teaching purposes.

Networking and conferences
I intend to organize a workshop in December 2021 on the theme of racialised bureaucracies with scholars in various humanities disciplines who are working on similar themes. This event will be held at LSE and will be open to academics, activists and policy makers. This is an opportunity to extend academic networks and establish new connections for future collaborations. I will also attend and organise a panel based on this workshop at the annual RGS conference.

External funding
I will use this fellowship to apply for further research funding. I will prepare applications to large grant bodies such as the Leverhulme Trust, the British Academy and the ESRC New Investigator's grant. These grants will help me develop further research examining the geographies and materialities of securitization and surveillance, post-War on Terror.