An Ethnographic Approach to Quebec's CVE Field

This chapter outlines the ethnographic approach underpinning my study of Quebec’s countering violent extremism (CVE) field between 2015 and 2021. Ethnography provides a critical vantage point on practices often obscured by policy documents or sanitized accounts. The chapter situates this work within broader debates on the challenges of researching high policing, including issues of secrecy, access, and engagement with “flawed systems”. Drawing on participant observation in Counter-Terrorism Information Officer (CTIO) trainings and daily work in Quebec’s CVE networks, the chapter highlights how ethnography uncovers the agency of frontline practitioners, the improvisational nature of CVE, and the competitive dynamics among actors. Attention is also given to the symbolic power of language, particularly the contested meanings of “radicalization” and the role of acronyms in defining community boundaries. Finally, the chapter reflects on the author’s positionality as both practitioner and researcher and presents the dataset of fieldnotes and interviews that ground the book’s findings. By focusing on everyday practices, this chapter underscores the value of ethnography in revealing the complexity and contradictions of contemporary security governance.