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A Social Constructionist Analysis of Canadian Conservative Blogs on Islamic Terrorism

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A Social Constructionist Analysis of Canadian Conservative Blogs on Islamic Terrorism A SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIONIST ANALYSIS OF CANADIAN CONSERVATIVE BLOGS ON ISLAMIC TERRORISM by Benjamin John Woolsey Bachelor of Commerce, Mount Allison University, 2002 THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS In the School of Criminology © Benjamin John Woolsey SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY Fall 2009 All rights reserved. However, in accordance with the Copyright Act of Canada, this work may be reproduced, without authorization, under the conditions for Fair Dealing. Therefore, limited reproduction of this work for the purposes of private study, research, criticism, review and news reporting is likely to be in accordance with the law, particularly if cited appropriately. APPROVAL Name: Benjamin John Woolsey Degree: Master of Arts Title of Thesis: A Social Constructionist Analysis of Canadian Conservative Blogs on Islamic Terrorism Examining Committee: Chair: Dr. Liz Elliott Associate Professor _____________________________________ Dr. John Lowman Senior Supervisor Professor of Criminology _____________________________________ Dr. Shane Gunster Supervisor Assistant Professor of Communication _____________________________________ Dr. Joel Best External Examiner Professor of Sociology and Criminal Justice University of Delaware Date Defended/Approved: December 11, 2009 ii Declaration of Partial Copyright Licence The author, whose copyright is declared on the title page of this work, has granted to Simon Fraser University the right to lend this thesis, project or extended essay to users of the Simon Fraser University Library, and to make partial or single copies only for such users or in response to a request from the library of any other university, or other educational institution, on its own behalf or for one of its users. The author has further granted permission to Simon Fraser University to keep or make a digital copy for use in its circulating collection (currently available to the public at the “Institutional Repository” link of the SFU Library website <www.lib.sfu.ca> at: <http://ir.lib.sfu.ca/handle/1892/112>) and, without changing the content, to translate the thesis/project or extended essays, if technically possible, to any medium or format for the purpose of preservation of the digital work. The author has further agreed that permission for multiple copying of this work for scholarly purposes may be granted by either the author or the Dean of Graduate Studies. It is understood that copying or publication of this work for financial gain shall not be allowed without the author’s written permission. Permission for public performance, or limited permission for private scholarly use, of any multimedia materials forming part of this work, may have been granted by the author. This information may be found on the separately catalogued multimedia material and in the signed Partial Copyright Licence. While licensing SFU to permit the above uses, the author retains copyright in the thesis, project or extended essays, including the right to change the work for subsequent purposes, including editing and publishing the work in whole or in part, and licensing other parties, as the author may desire. The original Partial Copyright Licence attesting to these terms, and signed by this author, may be found in the original bound copy of this work, retained in the Simon Fraser University Archive. Simon Fraser University Library Burnaby, BC, Canada Last revision: Spring 09 ABSTRACT This is a mixed methods content analysis of discourse in the Canadian conservative blogosphere regarding Islamic terrorism. The data are primarily from three years‘ worth of entries posted at Canada‘s most popular political blog, smalldeadanimals.com (SDA). The analysis reveals that conservative discourse contains apprehension about global demographic trends, a critique of fundamental aspects of Islamic cultures and religious doctrine, and contempt for Western welfare and multicultural policies. The conservative blogging community also strongly disapproves of, and is seeking to reform, Canada‘s Human Rights Commissions (HRCs), which the conservatives claim are impeding legitimate criticism of militant Islam. The thesis examines conservatives‘ discourse as claims-making activities following a ―natural history,‖ described in the social constructionist literature on the creation of ―social problems.‖ This natural history proceeds through four stages, starting with a group‘s assertions of a putative societal threat, and finishing with calls to reform institutions designed to deal with similar claims. Keywords: Islamic Terrorism; Conservative Politics; Social Problems; Political Blogosphere; Social Constructionism; Claims-Making iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I thank Professor Shane Gunster for hiring me as a Research Assistant in the first place, for then allowing me to use and develop these data further, and for his contagious interest in political discourse, theory, and the Internet. Without Shane I would not know how fun research can be. I am indebted to Professor John Lowman for insisting that my ideas be coherent and that my writing be clear. He not only instilled in me a belief in the importance of logical arguments and correct syntax, but also took the time to show me how to write properly. Without John my intended meanings would too often be lost. For Professor Joel Best, whose ideas and perspectives I found enlightening whenever I encountered them during my literature review, I have much respect. I am honored that he agreed to be the external examiner on my thesis committee. Finally, special thanks are owed to Laura for her emotional support over the past three years, and to the entire Canadian conservative blogging community for being such a rich source of intellectually stimulating information. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Approval .......................................................................................................................... ii Abstract .......................................................................................................................... iii Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................ iv Table of Contents ............................................................................................................ v List of Tables and Figures ..............................................................................................vii 1: Prelude to a Natural History ..................................................................................... 1 1.1 Continued Tensions between Western and Islamic Societies .................................. 1 1.2 Social Constructionism‘s Raison D'être ................................................................... 5 1.3 Natural Histories of Claims-Making Activities .......................................................... 6 1.4 The Role of Rhetoric in Claims-Making Activities .................................................. 10 1.5 A Note on Objective Reality, Ontological Gerrymandering, and the Need to Graduate ............................................................................................................... 11 1.6 Thesis Outline ....................................................................................................... 14 2: A Brief History of Political Discourse Regarding Islamic Terrorism ................... 16 2.1 ―Left‖ vs. ―Right‖ .................................................................................................... 16 2.2 Fundamental Questions of ―Good?‖ ...................................................................... 25 3: Data Sources and Research Methods ................................................................... 31 3.1 The Canadian Political Blogosphere...................................................................... 31 3.2 Research Methods Part 1: SPSS Analysis ............................................................ 36 3.3 Research Methods Part 2: NVivo Analysis ............................................................ 41 3.4 Additional Data Source: All SDA Comments ......................................................... 45 4: SPSS Results .......................................................................................................... 47 4.1 Blogger ................................................................................................................. 47 4.2 Number of Comments ........................................................................................... 47 4.3 Length ................................................................................................................... 48 4.4 Type ...................................................................................................................... 49 4.5 Philosophy ............................................................................................................ 51 4.6 Appeal ................................................................................................................... 54 4.7 Subject .................................................................................................................. 59 4.8 Number of Links or Quotes ................................................................................... 67 4.9 Link and Quote Sources, and Attitude towards Sources ........................................ 68 4.10 The Need for a Second Look................................................................................. 71 v 5: The Canadian Conservative
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