Who Are the Bad Guys? Disentangling Definitions and Discourses on Terrorism Among Politicians and Citizens in Belgium and Norway

Terrorism is intended to change us and the societies in which we live. Yet, despite the important impact of this phenomenon, very little is known about which incidents of political violence are perceived as terrorism by political leaders and the general public. This lack of knowledge is problematic, particularly considering the strategic use and delegitimizing power that comes with attaching the label ‘terrorism’ to a particular event. In this project, I will develop an innovative theoretical argument to explain how characteristics of the act and actors jointly shape perceptions of and responses to incidents of political violence. I intend to test my argument in two purposefully selected case studies (i.e., Belgium and Norway) and via three steps. First, through conjoint experiments, I will identify the factors that drive politicians and citizens to classify incidents as terrorism. Second, I will systematically analyze how politicians Tweet about political violence and when they decide to use the ‘terrorism label’ and associated discourses. Third, through a realistic but carefully controlled series of Tweets, I will unravel how such elite frames and counterframes shape public opinion in the aftermath of violence. By building on insights from terrorism studies and political communication and by using a variety of cutting-edge methodologies, this project will shed an original light on the strategic interplay between actors of political violence, political leaders, and citizens.