Mya Alexander-Owen Phd Thesis

#WEJAMMINSTILL: AGENTIAL REALISM AND TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO'S ABSENT TERRORISM NARRATIVE Mya Kaisha Alexander-Owen A Thesis Submitted for the Degree of PhD at the University of St Andrews 2019 Full metadata for this item is available in St Andrews Research Repository at: http://research-repository.st-andrews.ac.uk/ Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/10023/19161 This item is protected by original copyright #WeJamminStill: Agential Realism and Trinidad and Tobago’s Absent Terrorism Narrative Mya Kaisha Alexander-Owen This thesis is submitted in partial fulfilment for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) at the University of St Andrews June 2019 Candidate's declaration I, Mya Kaisha Alexander-Owen, do hereby certify that this thesis, submitted for the degree of PhD, which is approximately 80,000 words in length, has been written by me, and that it is the record of work carried out by me, or principally by myself in collaboration with others as acknowledged, and that it has not been submitted in any previous application for any degree. I was admitted as a research student at the University of St Andrews in September 2014. I received funding from an organisation or institution and have acknowledged the funder(s) in the full text of my thesis. Date Signature of candidate Supervisor's declaration I hereby certify that the candidate has fulfilled the conditions of the Resolution and Regulations appropriate for the degree of PhD in the University of St Andrews and that the candidate is qualified to submit this thesis in application for that degree. Date Signature of supervisor Permission for publication In submitting this thesis to the University of St Andrews we understand that we are giving permission for it to be made available for use in accordance with the regulations of the University Library for the time being in force, subject to any copyright vested in the work not being affected thereby. We also understand, unless exempt by an award of an embargo as requested below, that the title and the abstract will be published, and that a copy of the work may be made and supplied to any bona fide library or research worker, that this thesis will be electronically accessible for personal or research use and that the library has the right to migrate this thesis into new electronic forms as required to ensure continued access to the thesis. I, Mya Kaisha Alexander-Owen, have obtained, or am in the process of obtaining, third-party copyright permissions that are required or have requested the appropriate embargo below. The following is an agreed request by candidate and supervisor regarding the publication of this thesis: Printed copy Embargo on all of print copy for a period of 1 year on the following ground(s): • Publication would be in breach of law or ethics Supporting statement for printed embargo request I am awaiting copyright clearance from a photographer for use of 2 photographs in my dissertation. Electronic copy Embargo on part (Chapter 5 only) of electronic copy for a period of 1 year on the following ground(s): • Publication would be in breach of law or ethics Supporting statement for electronic embargo request Awaiting copyright permission for 2 photographs used in Chapter 5 Title and Abstract • I agree to the title and abstract being published. Date Signature of candidate Date Signature of supervisor Underpinning Research Data or Digital Outputs Candidate's declaration I, Mya Kaisha Alexander-Owen, understand that by declaring that I have original research data or digital outputs, I should make every effort in meeting the University's and research funders' requirements on the deposit and sharing of research data or research digital outputs. Date Signature of candidate Permission for publication of underpinning research data or digital outputs We understand that for any original research data or digital outputs which are deposited, we are giving permission for them to be made available for use in accordance with the requirements of the University and research funders, for the time being in force. We also understand that the title and the description will be published, and that the underpinning research data or digital outputs will be electronically accessible for use in accordance with the license specified at the point of deposit, unless exempt by award of an embargo as requested below. The following is an agreed request by candidate and supervisor regarding the publication of underpinning research data or digital outputs: No embargo on underpinning research data or digital outputs. Date Signature of candidate Date Signature of supervisor General Acknowledgements This journey would have never begun without the love, confidence and support of Christine Jones-Vire and my extended family at CrossFit 12-12-12 who have instilled in me the belief that courage never fails. It would have never persevered without the unending compassion, encouragement, advice and advocacy of my supervisor Professor Caron Gentry, whose words and actions will remain etched in my memory. It would have never been completed without the immense sacrifices and the infinite love and patience of my parents Michele and Martin Owen who have for my entire life made me believe that I could succeed at anything I put my mind to. To you and the innumerable others who have made this experience possible – I offer my sincerest gratitude for the opportunity. I hope that I have done you all proud. Funding This work was supported by the British Federation of Women Graduates [Ref # 189287]. Research Data/Digital Outputs access statement Research data underpinning this thesis are available at https://doi.org/10.17630/1c3af0ad-d65f-4d54- a684-7c60a1c6a895 Abstract This work examines the limitations of Securitisation Theory by applying it to an ethnographic case study of Trinidad and Tobago – the state with the highest per capita ISIL recruitment rate in the Western World. It examines the reasons for the absence of a terrorism narrative for that country until very recently, where one might expect a narrative to have existed for decades. It argues that securitisation thinkers must continue to extend their arguments, as gaps in the current approaches are limiting their utility. To make this argument it shows that while securitisation theory on its own, fails to explain the absence of a narrative due to ineffectively providing a means to address contextual considerations, Agential Realism is able to effectively integrate the necessary historical and cultural realities through the quantum thinking informing its diffractive methodology and its hauntological approach to time and space. In applying both securitisation theories and Agential Realism to the case, it can be seen that history and culture are deeply entangled with the security politics of Trinidad and Tobago as a post-colonial state – as they are for the many other former colonies which make up the global landscape. This work shows that conventional approaches to understanding security in Trinidad and Tobago are limited in the questions which they can answer and that if the discipline seeks to have more profound understandings of a wide range of actors and be truly ‘global’, it must be willing to continue to push the expanding boundaries of critical orthodoxy. Contents General Acknowledgements ................................................................... 1 Abstract .................................................................................................. 1 Introduction ............................................................................................ 1 Terrorism and Trinidad and Tobago .................................................................... 1 The History of Islam in Trinidad and Tobago .......................................................................... 8 Trinidad and Tobago and Terrorism: Legal Frameworks .................................. 11 Objectives ......................................................................................................... 13 Classicism in International Relations................................................................. 14 Culture and Identity in International Relations ................................................. 17 Methodology .................................................................................................... 24 Ethnography .......................................................................................................................... 24 Diffraction ............................................................................................................................. 34 Chapter 1 .............................................................................................. 38 Approaches to Theorising Securitisation ............................................... 38 Theorising Securitisation .................................................................................. 39 The Copenhagen School ....................................................................................................... 42 The Paris School ....................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined. The Aberystwyth School .......................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined. Securitisation and this Study ............................................................................ 55 Chapter 2 .............................................................................................. 59 Agential

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