New Books Network 13.5 - John Holmwood
Nov 14, 2025
Professor John Holmwood, Emeritus Professor of Sociology at the University of Nottingham, dives into the UK's Prevent policy. He explores its evolution from community cohesion to scrutiny post-Trojan Horse scandal. Holmwood critiques how Prevent erodes liberal values and unfairly frames Muslim communities. He discusses the mischaracterization of school interventions and argues for school autonomy. Advocating for enhanced citizenship education and youth empowerment, he views engaged students as the antidote to surveillance culture.
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Prevent Is A Pre‑Crime Programme
- Prevent is a pre-crime programme aimed at people thought to be at risk of radicalisation rather than actual terrorists.
- It mixes community cohesion work with surveillance, creating an uneasy and problematic combination.
Minoritization Fuels Global Security Rhetoric
- Prevent targets minoritized communities and echoes authoritarian rhetoric worldwide.
- Its logic reinforces state sovereignty and silences internal criticism by framing communities as security risks.
British Values Are Weaponised
- 'Fundamental British values' are framed as something some communities lack, despite British Muslims showing high conformity.
- This framing otherises difference (dress, religion) rather than addressing real civic concerns.
