[Commlist] Call for Chapters | Counter Terrorism Laws and Freedom of Expression: Global Perspectives

*Call For Chapter Proposals*

*Counter Terrorism Laws and Freedom of Expression: Global Perspectives*

This anthology is designed to survey the use of counterterrorism laws 
and their effects on civil liberties, particularly freedom of 
expression. The editors for the volume will be Dr. Téwodros Workneh and 
Dr. Paul Haridakis of Kent State University. We are seeking chapter 
proposals for inclusion in a book proposal we are submitting to Routledge.

The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 in the United States as well 
as other terrorist-related incidents in different parts of the world 
have caused profound changes in political, economic, and social 
relations globally. Nations have aggressively sought a wide range of 
mechanisms to proactively curb potential threats, such as strengthening 
controls on immigration, financial transactions, and regulation of 
communication systems. While arms of executive branches such as law 
enforcement bodies and even militaries are commonly part of the 
anti-terrorism apparatus, the most conspicuous common denominator across 
nations has been the rise of what came to be known as counter-terrorism 
laws. Today, more than 45 countries in the world have enacted 
legislation that specifically is designed to address terrorism concerns. 
Counter-terrorism laws usually empower states to expedite prosecution of 
alleged offenders by bypassing standard criminal jurisprudence 
processes. Critics argue that counter-terrorism laws are prone to be 
misappropriated by state actors who routinely use such laws in 
non-terrorism domestic contexts. As a consequence, laws designed to 
combat terrorism are being applied domestically in contexts not 
involving terrorism—such as governmental efforts to quash political 
dissent or restrict  other forms of citizen expressive activities.

The recent prominence of counter-terrorism laws across the world has had 
significant implications to the study of global terrorism from social 
scientific perspectives (e.g., legal and policy perspectives), 
especially in terms of determining what constitutes (and doesn’t) an 
expression of terrorism. Evidence from different parts of the world 
indicate many journalists, media practitioners, activists and  everyday 
citizens who disseminate alternative or critical political discourse are 
experiencing various forms of harassment, persecution, intimidation, and 
even legal prosecution  under broadly framed terrorism charges 
sanctioned by state-sponsored counter-terrorism legislation. For 
example, in Ethiopia, the Anti-Terrorism Proclamation of 2009 has been 
used to prosecute several bloggers and journalists who were accused of 
writing about opposition groups designated by the government as 
terrorists. In the United States, despite its strong tradition of First 
and Fourth Amendment constitutional rights of free speech and privacy, 
the FBI has routinely used, provisions of the USA Patriot Act of 2001 to 
demand information about U.S. citizens including journalists’ sources. 
Saudi Arabia has aggressively used its anti-terrorism law to criminalize 
a wide range of peaceful expression that has subjected several 
individuals to different forms of retribution including capital punishment.

Broadly framed, this call for proposals is concerned with how global 
counter terrorism laws have conditioned communication patterns, 
especially in terms of individual and institutional political speech. 
Almost all counter-terrorism laws incorporate language that affects 
communication, communication systems, media and/or media practitioners, 
an individual expression. In many instances, these laws define alleged 
terrorist speech, delineate the use of communication systems to 
disseminate said speech, and designate parameters to prosecute 
terrorists and networks of terrorism. At the same time, journalists, 
activists, and everyday media users across the world continue to 
experience varying degrees of state-sponsored harassment as a result of 
the broad interpretation of counter-terrorism laws that conflate 
terrorist expression with freedom of speech. In the midst of the rise of 
populist politics, nationalist political movements, and the retreat of 
the democratic order globally, the question about freedom of speech in 
the era of counter-terrorism frameworks is urgent. It is against this 
backdrop that we ask: What happens when a state-sanctioned legal 
framework aimed at protecting the public from terrorist activity, mostly 
perpetrated from foreign adversaries, is used internally against 
citizens? What are some of the consequences of using counter-terrorism 
laws that are prone to conflate freedom of expression with terrorist acts?

Manuscript submissions may address the following themes through a case 
study approach. Contributors shall focus on a given nation state and can 
explore one or a combination of the following thematic areas in addition 
to other related themes with the above scope in mind:

▪Counter-terrorism laws and self-censorship

▪The discourse/rhetoric of counter-terrorism laws

▪Counter-terrorism laws and surveillance

▪Country case studies of litigation focusing on counter terrorism laws

▪Counter-terrorism laws and media practitioners

▪Public communication in the age of counter-terrorism laws

▪Counter-terrorism laws in democracies

▪Counter-terrorism laws in autocracies

▪Internet governance and counter-terrorism laws

▪Counter-terrorism laws and privacy in digital platforms

▪Journalism ethics and counter-terrorism laws


*Deadlines*

If you would like to contribute, please submit an abstract of 250-300 
words to Dr. Téwodros Workneh ((_tworkneh /at/ kent.edu) 
<mailto:(tworkneh /at/ kent.edu)>_) by February 15, 2019.


*Submission components*

▪Title of chapter

▪Author name/s, institutional details

▪Corresponding author’s email address

▪Keywords (no more than 5)

▪A short bio (Maximum 100 words)

*Additional guidelines*

Commissioned chapters will be around 7,000 words. Accepting an abstract 
does not guarantee the publication of the final manuscript. Once the 
book proposal is approved, all chapters will be subject to a 
double-blind reviewing process.

Abstracts and questions should be addressed to Dr.Tewodros Workneh at 
(_tworkneh /at/ kent.edu) <mailto:(tworkneh /at/ kent.edu)>_ or Dr. Paul Haridakis at 
(_pharidak /at/ kent.edu) <mailto:(pharidak /at/ kent.edu)>_

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