Alexie Tcheuyap

Over the past decade, terrorism and war have completely changed their modes of operation. In place of nationalist claims previously used to justify violence in Spain, France, the UK or South America, the 9-11 attacks revealed new types of violence that have transformed security concerns into a major component of international relations and domestic policies. The proliferation of terrorist groups in the world has increased the level of insecurity in various nations. That is the case in Nigeria where, after operating for some time, Boko Haram has recently extended its murderous raids into neighbouring countries.

This project aims to examine the circumstances, evolution and contradictions of the media discourse on Boko Haram. It is built on qualitative and quantitative media content analysis. It will use a sample of Western and African newspapers in order to examine media discourse on security. This methodology employs the characteristics, substance and forms of media discourse, a technique that not only helps to better examine facts, but also to explore possible solutions. Given that media discourse is based on three main pillars, i.e. journalists, the public and politicians, the project will examine the following six issues that, although discussed exclusively in reference to Boko Haram, are pertinent to all media and political discourse. They are: (i) the "Them/Us" dichotomy (ii) international terrorism (iii) the State and the surveillance of its citizens (iv) the political manipulation of "patriotism" (v) the social responsibility of the media and (vi) the modalities of a stable and durable peace.

The media often shapes public knowledge on political violence, especially in the case of Boko Haram. However, there is little to no scientific research that discusses the media discourse on this group. In a context where western and African media propagate mixed, at times contradictory, content on a group that threatens the existence of several states, it is important to examine the ways these discourses are built. This project will therefore analyze the language used to determine the essential articulation of violence. It will lead to the publication of a book that will be the first scientific contribution on the subject matter, that is, how security is framed in media discourse on Boko Haram.