(How) can They become like Us? Danish identity politics and the conflicts of 'Muslim relations' Gad, Ulrik Pram Publication date: 2010 Document version Early version, also known as pre-print Citation for published version (APA): Gad, U. P. (2010). (How) can They become like Us? Danish identity politics and the conflicts of 'Muslim relations'. Museum Tusculanum. Ph.d.-Serien Vol. 2010 No. 3 Download date: 02. Oct. 2021 (How) can They become like Us? Danish identity politics and the conflicts of 'Muslim relations' Ulrik Pram Gad PhD Dissertation, 15 June 2010 submitted to the Department of Political Science, University of Copenhagen 1 2 Acknowledgements Who do you thank, when finishing a manuscript? The ones who spent most time or contributed the greatest effort? The ones who helped more than they were obliged to do? The ones whose help happened to make a difference? The effort made and the impact achieved doesn't always correlate. Most important for most aspects of the process resulting in this dissertation have been 'my generation' of PhD students at the Department of Political Science, University of Copenhagen: Rebecca Adler-Nissen, Caroline Grøn, Hendrik Hülss, Alan Klæbel, Kristian Søby Kristensen, Mathilde Høybye-Mortensen, Birgitta Gomez Nielsen, Kajsa Noe Oest, Karen Lund Petersen, Olivier Rubin, Mona Kanwal Sheikh, André Sonnichsen, Maja Møller Sousa, Peter Dahl Thruelsen, and Trine Villumsen. Especially, I want to thank my co-authors on past and projected texts: Without the experiences made possible by your trust in me, the prospect of a life in Academia would have appeared too lonely. Likewise I want to thank the more diverse bunch of people assembled in our cross-institutional PhD seminar series, firstly, on European Politics, and secondly, on Discourse and Identity: Without your open-mindedness, the horizon would have narrowed claustrophobically. It also gives me great pleasure to thank my students (especially in the courses on "Discourse Analysis of Identity Politics" and "The Muslim Other") for asking me questions, I needed to answer – and for finding answers, when I could not. Among the more experienced colleagues Ole Wæver, Allan Dreyer Hansen, and Stefano Guzzini are in a special league: They have engaged with the overall frame of the project. (Ole and Allan even with a rather unfinished version of a 'whole' manuscript.) They have done so more than once. And they have nevertheless been encouraging. Iver B. Neumann, Manni Crone, Lis Højgaard, Jan Ifversen, Tore Bjørgo and Hanne Nexø Jensen also in each their way made an important difference. When I was finishing my master's thesis, I read that Umberto Eco (1997:178) believe it to be impolite to thank your supervisor; s/he's just doing her/his job. Nevertheless, I want to 3 thank Lene Hansen for her repeated effort to supervise me (back?) to the safe path of acceptable academic practice. I am grateful to the great people in the Department of International Politics at the Norwegian Institute for International Affairs for their social and intellectual generosity while hosting me as a guest researcher. Elida Jacobsen (PRIO) made my stay in Oslo even more fruitful. Anita Haslie and Vemund Olsen integrated us in Oslo's papa permisjon subculture. As for institutions, I owe thanks to the cross-disciplinary committee of the University of Copenhagen research priority "Europe in transition" for sponsoring the project in the first place. Thanks to the funders, staff and co-guests at Løgumkloster Refugium for a week of peace, relief and support at a crucial moment in the writing process. Thanks to Etly & Jørgen Stjerngrens Fond for making the last months of writing a bit less lean. And thanks to the Centre for Advanced Security Theory at the University of Copenhagen for taking an interest in my future projects. Finally, the most important thanks go to my little family on Dronning Sofies Vej. I can't even imagine how life would be without you. Chapter 5 is (in a shorter, Danish language version) forthcoming as 'Muslimer som trussel. Identitet, sikkerhed, og modforanstaltninger', in Pedersen, M.H. & Rytter, M. (red.) "Integration, Islam og Muslimer", Cph.: Museum Tusculanum. A slightly different version of chapter 7 is forthcoming as 'Conditions for Hospitality or Defence of Identity? Writers in Need of Refuge - a Case of Denmark's ‘Muslim relations’', in Claviez, T. (ed): Conditions of Hospitality. Proceedings of a Symposium, University of Stavanger, 8-9 September 2008. Parts of chapter 8 is (in Danish) available as 'Hvem taler? Hvem lytter?: Danske invitationer til dialog mod terror', Babylon 7(2): 90-103. Ulrik Pram Gad, Roskilde/Copenhagen, 15 June 2010 Revised parts published seperately - final references (2013): Chapter 5: (2011) 'Muslimer som trussel. Identitet, trusler og modforanstaltninger', pp.61-88 in Pedersen MH & Rytter M (red) Islam og muslimer i Danmark. Religion, identitet og sikkerhed efter 11. september 2001, Kbh.: Museum Tusculanum Chapter 5: (2011) 'Muslims as a security problem in Danish integration discourse: Peace, welfare, culture', NordEuropaForum 2011(1):41-72 Chapter 7: (2013) 'Conditions for Hospitality or Defence of Identity? Writers in Need of Refuge – a Case of Denmark's "Muslim relations"', pp. 111-123 in Claviez T (ed) The Conditions of Hospitality. Ethics, Politics, and Aesthetics on the Threshold of the Possible, NY: Fordham UP Part of chapter 8: (2012) 'Concepts of dialogue as counterterrorism. Narrating the self-reform of the Muslim Other', Critical Studies on Terrorism 5(2):159-178 4 Part of chapter 8: (2009) 'Hvem taler? Hvem lytter? Danske invitationer til dialog mod terror', Babylon 7(2):90-103 5 6 Contents overview Tables ..................................................................................................................................... 15 Figures .................................................................................................................................... 15 1 Introduction: Why shouldn't They become Us? ............................................................. 21 PART I 2 Identity configuration and conflict: Discourse as structure, agency and interaction ............................................................... 49 3 The radicalization of identity politics: Grammars for interaction, necessity, spill over and feed backs ................................... 131 4 Analytical choices, selection and tools ......................................................................... 247 PART II 5 Muslims as a security problem in Danish integration discourse: Peace, welfare, culture .................................................................................................. 275 6 Explaining away international criticism of human rights practices: A rhetorical tight-rope secured by a concrete block ..................................................... 341 7 Conditions for hospitality or defence of identity? Asking writers in need of refuge to recognize Danish values ...................................... 379 8 It takes two to Tango: Danish concepts of dialogue as counterterrorism ..................... 409 9 Will Turkey ever become European? The difficulty of deferring decision .................. 469 10 Conclusion: Dangers of difference – dangers of making difference go away .............. 509 Literature .............................................................................................................................. 533 Abstract ................................................................................................................................ 556 Resumé (in Danish) .............................................................................................................. 556 7 Contents Tables ..................................................................................................................................... 15 Figures .................................................................................................................................... 15 1 Introduction: Why shouldn't They become Us? ............................................................. 21 1.1 Empirical trouble: Danish identity meets Muslims as difference ........................... 21 1.2 Turning trouble into puzzle: Getting conflict under control ................................... 27 1.3 Problematiques and research question: Structures and dynamics contributing to radicalization .......................................... 30 1.4 Research design: The premises for the analysis ...................................................... 31 1.5 Theory: Identity as relations to the other ................................................................. 34 1.5.1 Identity related to the other as constitutive and threatening .............................. 34 1.5.2 Identity articulated by narrating policies for getting the other into place .......... 37 1.5.3 Identity politics as conflicting narratives of the self/other relation ................... 38 1.5.4 Identity configuration as relations between structure, agency and interaction .. 41 1.6 Proceedings: What questions are put where? .......................................................... 42 1.6.1 Part I: Analytical strategy – ontology, theory, methods .................................... 42 1.6.2 Part II: Analysis – Danish debates on Muslims ................................................. 45 PART I 2 Identity configuration and conflict: Discourse as structure, agency and interaction ......... 49 2.1 Identity as discursive