Terms of engagement: examining the rhetoric of radicalisation Abdul Abdullah UNSW Art & Design MFA (Research) PLEASE TYPE THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES Thesis/Dissertation Sheet Surname or Family name: Abdulllah First name: Abdul Other name/s: Abbreviation for degree as given in the University calendar: MFA School: UNSW Faculty: Art Title: Terms of engagement: examining the rhetoric of radicalisation Abstract 350 words maximum: (PLEASE TYPE) This body of research critically examines and challenges popular rhetoric regarding contemporary understandings of ‘radicalisation’ in reference to Australian Muslim communities. Through the prism of the ‘War on terror’ and its adverse and disproportionate affects on Australian Muslims, Terms of engagement: examining the rhetoric of radicalisation coalesces research on Acculturative Stress and Self-determination theory, anecdotal experience, documented acts of politically-motivated violence, and the reporting of those acts of politically-motivated violence to reassess popular narratives regarding national security. The exhibition is comprised of eleven images that reflect the projection of criminality on marginalised and vilified people in a way that invites the audience to reflect on their own potential personal biases. Declaration relating to disposition of project thesis/dissertation I hereby grant to the University of New South Wales or its agents the right to archive and to make available my thesis or dissertation in whole or in part in the University libraries in all forms of media, now or here after known, subject to the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968. I retain all property rights, such as patent rights. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis or dissertation. I also authorise University Microfilms to use the 350 word abstract of my thesis in Dissertation Abstracts International (this is applicable to doctoral theses only). 23rd of June 2017 …………………………………………………………… ……………………………………..……………… ……….……………………...…….… Signature Witness Signature Date The University recognises that there may be exceptional circumstances requiring restrictions on copying or conditions on use. Requests for restriction for a period of up to 2 years must be made in writing. Requests for a longer period of restriction may be considered in exceptional circumstances and require the approval of the Dean of Graduate Research. FOR OFFICE USE ONLY Date of completion of requirements for Award: THIS SHEET IS TO BE GLUED TO THE INSIDE FRONT COVER OF THE THESIS ORIGINALITY STATEMENT ‘I hereby declare that this submission is my own work and to the best of my knowledge it contains no materials previously published or written by another person, or substantial proportions of material which have been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma at UNSW or any other educational institution, except where due acknowledgement is made in the thesis. Any contribution made to the research by others, with whom I have worked at UNSW or elsewhere, is explicitly acknowledged in the thesis. I also declare that the intellectual content of this thesis is the product of my own work, except to the extent that assistance from others in the project's design and conception or in style, presentation and linguistic expression is acknowledged.’ Signed Date 13th June 2017 COPYRIGHT STATEMENT ‘I hereby grant the University of New South Wales or its agents the right to archive and to make available my thesis or dissertation in whole or part in the University libraries in all forms of media, now or here after known, subject to the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968. I retain all proprietary rights, such as patent rights. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis or dissertation. I also authorise University Microfilms to use the 350 word abstract of my thesis in Dissertation Abstract International (this is applicable to doctoral theses only). I have either used no substantial portions of copyright material in my thesis or I have obtained permission to use copyright material; where permission has not been granted I have applied/will apply for a partial restriction of the digital copy of my thesis or dissertation.' Signed Date 13th June 2017 AUTHENTICITY STATEMENT ‘I certify that the Library deposit digital copy is a direct equivalent of the final officially approved version of my thesis. No emendation of content has occurred and if there are any minor variations in formatting, they are the result of the conversion to digital format.’ Signed Date 13th June 2017 Contents 1. Introduction p3 2. Defining Radicalisation p5 3. My politicisation and understanding of contemporary radicalisation p10 4. Coming to Terms: The rhetoric around radicalisation p25 5. Siege: Combating prejudice with art, and art in response to war p43 6. Conclusion p62 7. Bibliography p66 2 Introduction This thesis examines my artistic practice through one of its central themes: the phenomenon of ‘radicalisation’ and how it is understood and applied in the contemporary Australian context. It will critically dissect the term’s popular use, and how the rhetoric of radicalisation contributes to and nurtures structures of generational disadvantage and race-based social/caste stratifications that I understand as an effect of the ‘War on Terror’. As such, this body of work critically investigates the rhetoric of radicalisation through the contemporary prism of the ‘War on Terror’, and compares how a selection of relevant artists have responded to experiences of war in the past, contextualising my own body of work within this tradition. Where many artists have chosen to focus on the atrocities of armed conflict or the military experience, my work instead takes up the social and cultural experience of those on the home front, positioning increased Islamophobia and perception of Muslim ‘radicalisation’ as affects of war. To frame this artistic practice, my research critically examines dominant narratives regarding radicalisation in Australia (that are almost exclusively applied to Muslims). Alongside my artistic practice, it seeks to discursively reframe the conversation about radicalisation, drawing on both social and cultural studies pertinent to the contemporary Australian Muslim experience, and anecdotal evidence describing my own experience of growing up Muslim in a post-9/11 Australia. It extrapolates the ways in which these streams of research, as well as a comparative analysis of other artists’ explorations of the experiences and effects of war, have informed the way my artistic practice utilises the projections and anxieties that dominate popular understandings regarding Muslims. 3 In general, my artistic practice spans painting, photography, video, installation and performance and is concerned with the ‘other’ in society, particularly young Muslims in the context of contemporary, multicultural Australia. It is through this practice that I extrapolate my worldview and explore the ways in which people relate. The research outlined in this text is an extension and reflection of this artistic practice, focusing on two key photographic series, Coming to Terms (2015), which was shown at the Gallery of Modern Art (QLD) as part of the Asia Pacific Triennial, and Siege (2014) and its companion series from 2015, Conciliation (of self), Reconciliation (of self) and Restitution (of self). These works exist at the intersection of different levels of discourse aBout 'radical Islam': government policies and politics; media representations; community perceptions; and creative responses. Before discussing my body of work, however, this thesis will explore and define the foundational ideas, events and opinions that inform my practice and have directly contributed to the series under examination with this text. 4 Defining Radicalisation This chapter will provide an account of the social and cultural production of what I refer to throughout this thesis as ‘radicalisation’ in the Australian context. This definition will underpin the research and artistic outcomes discussed throughout, providing the framework for my account of the bodies of work submitted for consideration in my Masters exhibition. I will then go on to extrapolate how this definition is imbricated within my own experience and the aims and questions within my work as an artist. In 2015, The Australian Government initiative ‘Living Safe Together: Building community resilience to violent extremism’ launched a website that sought to “provide information on what communities and the Australian Government are doing to build resilient communities that take action against violent extremism”. The website includes a glossary of terms that defines ‘radicalisation’ as: … The process by which an individual’s beliefs move from the relatively mainstream to calling for a drastic change in society that would have a negative impact on harmony, rights and freedoms of Australians. It does not necessarily mean a willingness to use violence to realise those beliefs, but some individuals come to believe that violence is justified to achieve ideological, political or social change.1 The inclusion of a “negative impact on harmony, rights and freedoms of Australians” is incongruent with traditional definitions of radicalisation, which historically are 1 https://www.livingsafetogether.gov.au/resources/Pages/definitions-and-glossary.aspx 5 primarily concerned with “extreme changes in existing views, habits, conditions or institutions”2,