Manufacturing the Jihadist Threat in Switzerland: A Qualitative Analysis of Official Discourses from Intelligence Services and the Federal Office of Police (1999–2021)

• In Event: Public Discourses and their influence in policy creation

Abstract

This study examines the evolution of institutional discourses on jihadist terrorism in Switzerland through a qualitative analysis of reports from the Swiss Intelligence Service (SRC) and the Federal Office of Police (fedpol) from 1999 to 2021. Adopting a critical perspective on the discursive strategies deployed, the research highlights an increasing securitization of Muslim migration and an othering of Muslims, who are portrayed as a "community of suspects." This work thus exposes how the jihadist threat is constructed and legitimized by two federal institutions in Switzerland while discussing their epistemic power position within the social space and the effects of their discourse and policies on Swiss society.

Author

• Simon Vallat, Université de Lausanne Ecole des sciences criminelles