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Security and Social Cohesion Deconstructing Fear (Of Others) by Going Beyond Stereotypes

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Security and Social Cohesion Deconstructing Fear (Of Others) by Going Beyond Stereotypes Trends in social cohesion, No. 11 Security and social cohesion Deconstructing fear (of others) by going beyond stereotypes Council of Europe Publishing Editions du Conseil de l’Europe Security and social cohesion – Deconstructing fear (of others) by going beyond stereotypes Trends in social cohesion, No. 11 Published by the Social Cohesion Development Division with the support of the Integrated Project “Response to violence in everyday life in a democratic society” TITLES IN THE SAME COLLECTION No. 1 Promoting the policy debate on social exclusion from a comparative perspective (ISBN 92-871-4920-8, €8) No. 2 Trends and developments in old-age pension and health-care financing in Europe during the 1990s (ISBN 92-871-4921-6, €8) No. 3 Using social benefits to combat poverty and social exclusion : opportuni- ties and problems from a comparative perspective (ISBN 92-871-4937-2, €13) No. 4 New social demands : the challenges of governance (ISBN 92-871-5012-5, €19) No. 5 Combating poverty and access to social rights in the countries of the South Caucasus : a territorial approach (ISBN 92-871-5096-6, €15) No. 6 The state and new social responsibilities in a globalising world (ISBN 92-871-5168-7, €15) No. 7 Civil society and new social responsibilities based on ethical foundations (ISBN 92-871-5309-4, €13) No. 8 Youth and exclusion in disadvantaged urban areas : addressing the causes of violence ( ISBN 92-871-5389-2, €25) No. 9 Youth and exclusion in disadvantaged urban areas : policy approaches in six European cities (ISBN 92-871-5512-7, €15) No. 10 Security through social cohesion : proposals for a new socioeconomic governance (ISBN 92-871-5491-0, €17) The opinions expressed in this work are those of the authors and do not neces- sarily reflect the official policy of the Council of Europe or of the Secretariat. Cover design: Graphic Design Workshop, Council of Europe Council of Europe Publishing F-67075 Strasbourg Cedex ISBN 92-871-5544-5 © Council of Europe, January 2005 Printed in Germany CONTENTS Preface ....................................................................................................................7 Foreword ...............................................................................................................9 Introduction........................................................................................................13 by Federico Oliveri 1. Increased rights as a means of promoting individual and collective security .....13 2. Security today: tendencies and options ...........................................................14 3. The climate of fear: stereotypes and side-effects .............................................17 4. The wage-earning society in crisis and the advent of security-mindedness.......24 5. Beyond fear (of others): prospects and proposals ............................................27 Bibliography .......................................................................................................31 A – Fundamental rights and security.......................................................33 I – Exploiting or overcoming fear ? The temptations facing politicians addressing citizens’ insecurities...................................33 by Peter Schieder II – Freedom and security : finding the right balance - the European Union and the protection of personal data after 11 September 2001.............................................................37 by Kathalijne Buitenweg Introduction........................................................................................................37 1. Privacy as personal data protection: an essential part of security......................37 2. EU legislation on personal data protection ......................................................39 3. The impact of 11 September on citizens’ privacy: some examples....................40 4. Trading liberties for temporary security? Some short conclusions.....................43 3 B – Open up new opportunities for citizenship..................................45 I – Migrants, foreigners, criminals : the security short-circuit in the wake of the “second great transformation” and the need for democratic management of disorder ...............45 by Salvatore Palidda Introduction........................................................................................................45 1. Short-circuits between insecurity and securitarianism ......................................48 2. Eurocentric securitarianism..............................................................................53 3. To what extent is social cohesion based on universal rights possible in the context of the European Union?............................................................57 Bibliography .......................................................................................................62 II – Insecurity in its various forms, existence on the fringes of society and political exclusion in the working class neighbourhoods of French towns : causes and possible alternative approaches ..................................................................65 by Laurent Bonelli Introduction........................................................................................................65 1. Morphological and social changes in working-class neighbourhoods in French towns ..............................................................................................66 2. Changes in ways of responding to “violence”.................................................74 3. The growing intervention of police and judicial institutions in the resolution of “urban disorder”........................................................................................79 4. Suggestions for consideration ........................................................................86 C – Developing greater autonomy, pluralism and participation.......................................................................................89 I – The portrayal of migrants in the German media : going beyond stereotypes through alternative information and communication practices..............................................................89 by Christoph Butterwegge Introduction........................................................................................................89 1. The mass media as catalysts for the “ethnicisation” of socioeconomic conflicts ..............................................................................89 4 2. How migrants and members of ethnic minorities are turned into “foreigners” ............................................................................................91 3. The distorting mirror of the German mass media ............................................94 4. The media’s reversal of victims and offenders in the discourses of right-wing extremism..................................................................................98 5. Some conclusions for journalism and political education as a whole..............100 Bibliography .....................................................................................................105 II – Media concentration and its impact on insecurity : developingthe resources of a global civil society to face today’s challenges ..................................................................109 by Roberto Savio III – Alternative communication to combat insecurity. The No War TV project ......................................................................116 by Luciana Castellina 1. Social cohesion and the media......................................................................116 2. From public service to private service: concentration and insecurity ...............116 3. Loss of “sovereignty” and risk of media (self-)ghettoisation ..........................117 4. From information to knowledge: rethinking televised communication as a whole ...........................................................................118 5. The Internet: an ambivalent liberation...........................................................119 6. The No War TV project: from the idea to the initial phases ............................121 7. A pluralist and well-organised society as a model for a secure society............122 8. Local involvement and global benefit: from street TV to satellite, constantly serving society.....................................................................................123 9. Agenda and future prospects........................................................................124 Appendix I: Resolution adopted by the Chamber of Deputies............................126 Appendix II: Appeal by the mayors of Tuscany...................................................127 5 PREFACE The rising feeling of insecurity in Europe and the other parts of the world is a social, political and institutional challenge which the Council of Europe took up at its 2003 Forum on Social cohesion or public security: how should Europe respond to collective feelings of insecurity? This was a welcome move and, by attending the forum myself, I was able to wit- ness and assess the many different ways in which the subject can be approached in order to stimulate fresh debate, focusing on the key issues for social cohesion. Understanding citizens’ fears, the workings of fear and insecurity, the factors that cause such fears and the deep-seated reasons for these feel- ings provides a vital means of gauging their impact and seeking effective, workable solutions. This is the responsibility of all those
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