Atmospheres of (counter)terrorism in European cities
Zusammenfassung der Projektergebnisse
How do terrorism and counterterrorism register in our urban experience? Europe has witnessed a shift in where terrorist attacks occur, away from high-profile and towards ‘everyday’ targets: festivals, markets, shopping streets, squares, parks, restaurants, bridges. These spaces are materially and socially meshed in everyday city life and are difficult to secure by hardening or cordoning, without undermining their role as open spaces of encounter. In this context, and relying on theories in human geography and urban studies, the research examined how (counter)terrorism impact on the felt experience of cities across France, Germany and the UK. We asked: How do terror threat and counterterrorism response change the atmosphere of urban public space? How does this change impact on social encounters in public spaces? How does the felt experience of (counter)terrorism translate across urban communities? How can attention to atmospheres of (counter)terrorism help improve the liveability of cities? Data stems from 3 countries and 5 cities. It includes interviews with security and municipal officials, urban planners, community representatives, and public space improvement managers; shadowing of security and policing teams; and a representative survey of 15,000 respondents from the public across three countries. Published findings so far highlight the following: 1. More attention is needed, academically and beyond, on how terrorism and counterterrorism shape everyday city life in the long-term diffusely beyond the immediate aftermath and beyond the location of an attack. 2. The material things of (counter)terrorism – barriers, signage, technologies, other artefacts – that the public is left with in light of official security agendas shape public attitudes, dispositions, and behaviours at the micro-level, often with unpredicted effects. 3. Different social groups have different experiences of (counter)terrorism. However, this does not mean that there is a homogenous collective atmosphere amongst those in said groups. Evidence shows a wealth of individual and collective atmospheric relationships with (counter)terrorism in public space. These challenge assumptions about public perceptions and highlight misalignments between public perceptions and current evidence about the nature of threat. 4. A balance needs to be struck between providing security through counterterrorism measures and not over-securing public spaces. Evidence shows that a lack of security can make the public feel at risk but equally, over-securitising public space can lead to ‘atmospheric fortification’. This simultaneously pacifies feelings of threat and heightens vigilance and anticipation in users and affecting different groups of users in unequal ways. This alters the everyday experience of public space, specifically hindering flow and circulation of residents and even tourists, raising questions about the social and economic viability of some (over)securitisation. 5. A methodology accounting for atmosphere provides a deeper understanding of (counter)terrorism. Such an approach goes beyond the visible landscapes of terrorism, and taps into less detectable, embodied and felt aspects of these landscapes.
Projektbezogene Publikationen (Auswahl)
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Atmospheres of (Counter)Terror in European Cities. “City, Public Space & Body” conference. December 14-15 2021 at Goldsmiths University in London (UK)
Ciax, K.
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Atmospheric geographies of (counter)terrorism. Progress in Human Geography, 48(6), 752–778.
Fregonese, Sara; Simpson, Paul; Masson, Damien; Runkel, Simon; Benjamin, Carrie Ann; Berlin, Samuel; Ciax, Katharina & Drongiti, Angeliki
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Ambiances of (counter)terrorism in France: sensible and emotional dimensions of contemporary terror threats and counterterrorism measures in ordinary experience of cities. Session: Governing the city, Network: Urban, Annual meeting of Social Science History Association (SSHA), Chicago, Jersey (USA)
Drongiti A. & Masson D.
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Ambiances ordinaires des sécurités urbaines dans un contexte post-attentats. "Ambiances Littorales". Fondements théoriques et méthodologiques, Université de La Rochelle (FR)
Masson D.
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Atmospheres of (counter)terrorism survey / Enquête sur le terrorisme et le sentiment de sécurité dans l’espace public
Masson Damien, Heurtel Hélène, Sara Fregonese, Simon Runkel, Paul Simpson et al.
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Atmospheres of (counter)terrorism: productions, governance, territories; part of Securing and recovering urban atmospheres? Royal Geographical Society (RGS-IBG), Newcastle (UK)
Fregonese, S. & Simpson, P.
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Crises terrorists et ambiances urbaines: quelles marques les attentats laissent-ils aux villes? Revue Internationale d’Urbanisme (13)
Drongiti A. & Masson D.
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Everyday atmospheres of (counter)terrorism in Birmingham,’ part of Securing and recovering urban atmospheres? Royal Geographical Society (RGS-IBG), Newcastle (UK)
Benjamin, C.
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Governing Crowds. Forschungszentrum Jülich (group of Prof. Dr. Seyfried, Dr. Anna Sieben), June 13 (online talk)
Runkel, S.
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Invité de l’émission de radio Les Enjeux Territoriaux sur le sujet: « De Nice à Paris, la ville après les attentats », France Culture, producteur : Baptiste Muckensturm, 14/12/2022
Masson Damien
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Quand la ville réagit à la menace terroriste : Quels effets sur les ambiances ordinaires ? Métropole Sensible #9. Ambiances, Atmosphères, Émotions, Montpellier (FR)
Thomas R., Drongiti A. & Masson D.
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Researching Atmospheres of Urban Counter-Terrorism: Methods and Approaches to capture the In-Between, Forschungsseminar im Rahmen des ERC-Projekts „Urban Terrorism in Europe (2004-19): Remembering, Imagining, and Anticipating Violence, University of Birmingham, April 5 2022, Birmingham (UK)
Ciax, K.
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Shockwaves. Thinking with atmosphere through the disruptions and afterlives of urban armed conflict and (counter)terrorism. Keynote. Geography Days 2022 – Geographies of displacement. November 3-4 2022, Tampere (FIN)
Fregonese, S.
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‘Everyday atmospheres of (counter)terrorism in Birmingham. Session “Everyday crisis, beyond the eventful”, RC21, Athens (GR)
Benjamin, C.
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‘Everyday atmospheres of (counter)terrorism in Birmingham’. University of Birmingham Anthro Talks seminar series, Department of African Studies and Anthropology, Birmingham (UK)
Benjamin, C.
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„If you see something, say something“: Affective atmospheres within the Counter-Terror State. AAG Annual Meeting; February 25 to March 1 2022 in New York (USA). (online participation)
Ciax, K.
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Assessing the (counter)terrorism impact on the urban atmospheres, practices, and emotions in European countries. Session “Urban atmospheres of (in)security, disaster, and recovery”, American Association of Geographers (AAG), Denver (US)
Masson, D. & Heurtel, H.
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Atmospheres of (counter)terrorism: productions, differences, governance; part of Urban atmospheres of (in)security, disaster, and recovery American Association of Geographers (AAG), Denver (USA)
Simpson, P.
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De quelle manière la menace terroriste et les réponses antiterroristes transforment les ambiances ordinaires dans les villes françaises ? Expériences sensibles, fabrique et critique des territoires en mutation., Laboratoire Ambiances, Architectures, Urbanités, Inalco, Paris, France
Masson D. & Drongiti A.
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Everyday (counter)terrorism: normalising threat, risk, and hostile vehicle mitigation in Birmingham. Guest Lecture, PLACES laboratory CY Cergy Paris Universite (FR)
Benjamin, C.
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Project Servator: affective counterterrorism and atmospheric policing. Social Justice, Cities and Citizenship research group at the University of Leeds School of Geography, October 18 2023, Leeds (UK)
Berlin, S.
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Project Servator: atmospheric methods in counterterrorism; ; part of Urban atmospheres of (in)security, disaster, and recovery American Association of Geographers (AAG), Denver (USA)
Berlin, S.
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Spatial Governance of Crowds. AAG Annual Meeting, March 23–27, in Denver (USA)
Runkel, S.
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The 1974 Birmingham bombings: atmospheric envelopments, circulations, and (in)capacities ; part of Urban atmospheres of (in)security, disaster, and recovery. American Association of Geographers (AAG), Denver (USA)
Fregonese, S.
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Urbane Plätze und Anti-Terror. Eine atmosphärische Analyse der affektivräumlichen Versicherheitlichung auf dem Breitscheidplatz. Neue Kulturgeographie, January 26-28 2023 in Halle an der Saale (GER)
Ciax, K.
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Wunden und Stein – Stadtgesellschaften im Schnittfeld von Geo- und Biopolitik. Geographic Colloquium of Institut für Geographie, des Instituts für Länderkunde and Umweltforschungszentrum, June 13 2023 in Leipzig (GER)
Runkel, S.
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Wunden und Stein – Stadtgesellschaften im Schnittfeld von Geo- und Biopolitik. Studium Generale, Vorlesungsreihe „Verwundbarkeit“, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, June 22 2023 in Jena (GER)
Runkel, S.
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“The 1974 Birmingham bombings: atmospheric envelopments, more-than-human circulations, and affective (in)capacities”. Royal Geographical Society, Institute of British Geographers Annual Conference 2023, London (UK)
Fregonese S. & Simpson, P.
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Atmospheres of (counter)terrorism: a research agenda. In: Progress in Human Geography
Fregonese, S., Simpson, P., Masson, D., Runkel, S., Benjamin, C., Berlin, S., Ciax, K. & A. Drongiti
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ExperiSpace: “Taking a shot at affective methodologies in the context of securitization and spatial structures of violence”. Research workshop #9 on Exploring affects and emotions in current spatially related research: established methods and new approaches at the Leibniz-Institute for Regional Geography, Leipzig (GER)
Ciax, K.; Kauer, D. & Meier, B.
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Geopolitics of Urban Squares: Atmospheric Securitisation and Counterterrorism in Everyday Urban Spaces in Berlin. Geopolitics, 1-24.
Ciax, Katharina & Runkel, Simon
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Introduction: Atmospheres of (counter)terrorism in European Cities. International Conference Cities & (Counter)terrorism: Ordinary practices, experiences and atmospheres, June 13–14 2024, CY Cergy Paris Université, Cergy, France
Masson D., Fregonese F., Runkel S. & Simpson P.
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Killing the vibe? Negative affects and atmospheres of (in)security. Royal Geographical Society-Institute of British Geographers Annual Conference, London (UK)
Fregonese, S. & Simpson, P.
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Shockwaves, vibes, baselines, and big ugly lumps: findings from the UK. International Conference Cities & (Counter)terrorism: Ordinary”, Université Cergy (FR)
Fregonese S. & Simpson, P.
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There is no such thing as an ‘ambiance of safety’. International Conference Cities & (Counter)terrorism: Ordinary practices, experiences and atmospheres, June 13–14 2024, CY Cergy Paris Université, Cergy (FR)
Drongiti A. & Masson D.
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Urban squares, parks and crowds: findings from Germany. International Conference Cities & (Counter)terrorism: Ordinary practices, experiences and atmospheres, June 13–14 2024, CY Cergy Paris Université, Cergy (FR)
Ciax, K. & Runkel, S.
