Identities Podcast Episode 9: Researching Extremism and Risky Material

In this podcast episode, inspired by Dr Shereen Fernandez’s Identities article, ‘When counter-extremism ‘sticks’: the circulation of the Prevent Duty in the school space’ (2024), as well as in response to recent developments in and debates around extremism and terrorism, Islamophobia and free speech in the UK and more broadly, Identities co-editor Dr Aaron Winter, Dr Fernandez and Dr Rizwaan Sabir will discuss their experiences and the challenges of researching racism, counterextremism and counterterrorism. The discussion will cover a range of issues, including researcher identity and academic freedom, with a focus on the specific challenges and implications of handling primary documents associated with extremism and terrorism which may be seen as ‘hostile’ to the security state. The latter being something that all three have written about and was the focus of Dr Sabir’s The Suspect: Counterterrorism, Islam, and the Security State where he reflects on his experiences with this.