THE ‘IMAGE’ QUESTION IN SECURITIZATION THEORY: ON MEDIATING AND IMAGING DISCOURSES OF IN/SECURITY

Abstract

The “linguistic turn” in international relations and policy studies has contributed to an understanding of the “constructedness” of the field of security studies. Yet, there has been marginal attention to pictorial or visual readings of the subject and the potential of images to shape discursive realities. This thesis asks how this can be accounted for by first reformulating the framework of securitization so as to situate it within the “pictorial turn,” and examine the interfaces between visual culture and policy-making practices and public discourse that facilitate securitization in the ongoing War on Terror. It examines how discursive and visual imaging procedures functions as a form of communication, and the ways in which diverse media forms shape perception of potential threats. This thesis draws upon social constructivism, discourse theory, the sociology of communication and critical theory to address these questions.