Research Fellow
Tom.J.Pettinger@warwick.ac.uk

Dr Tom Pettinger is a Research Fellow at the University of Warwick, exploring issues of affect, performativity, and spatiality in the context of security. Situated between IPS and applied political theory, Tom investigates how ‘terrorism’ and ‘disaster’ are exceptionalized as existing outside of politics. Their work is concerned with rethinking the ways that security is perceived and enacted, and increasingly with asking how (in)security structures modernity/coloniality.

Tom examined the UK's widely-lauded Prevent 'counter-radicalization' programme for doctoral work, conducting over 50 research interviews with Prevent officials, Channel 'de-radicalization' mentors, former terrorism offenders, and peace workers from Northern Ireland. In postdoctoral work Tom is examining how disaster is produced and negotiated. Tom has published in journals such as Environment and Planning C, and British Journal of Sociology. Tom's research has inspired artwork produced by Faisal Hussain of TrueForm Projects in Birmingham.

Tom is also a Fellow of the UK's Higher Education Academy. They have taught postgraduate and undergraduate Critical Security modules at Oxford Brookes University, and undergraduate international relations modules at Warwick University, alongside their research.

Journal Articles 

(2023) Embodying the Inquiry: Disaster, Affectivity, and the Localized Politics of Security. Environment & Planning C: Politics and Space, Online first

(2020) British terrorism preemption: Subjectivity and disjuncture in Channel ‘de-radicalization’ interventions, British Journal of Sociology, Vol. 71 (Wiley Top Cited Article Award 2020-2021)

(2020) CTS and normativity: The essentials of preemptive counter-terrorism interventions, Critical Studies on Terrorism, Vol. 13

(2017) De-Radicalization and Counter-Radicalization: Valuable Tools for Combating Violent Extremism, or Harmful Methods of Subjugation?, Journal for De-Radicalization, Vol. 12

(2015) What Is the Impact of Foreign Military Intervention on Radicalization?, Journal for De-Radicalization, Vol. 5

Other articles 

(2022) Book Chapter: De-radicalization in Europe: A Critical Introduction. Enjeu Mondial: Politiques de Déradicalisation, Presses de Sciences Po

(2020) Book Chapter: Examining Prevent from a former combatant perspective, Radicalization and Counter-Radicalization, Emerald Publishing

(2020) Book Review: ‘Encountering Extremism’, in Critical Terrorism Studies