Researching Protest Policing in South Africa: A Discourse Analysis of the Police–Researcher Encounter

Cornell, Josephine and Malherbe, Nick and Seedat, Mohamed and Suffla, Shahnaaz (2022) Researching Protest Policing in South Africa: A Discourse Analysis of the Police–Researcher Encounter. Policing: A Journal of Policy and Practice, 17. ISSN 1752-4520

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Abstract

Researchers have played a significant role in influencing the public’s critical engagement with the South African Police Service (SAPS). Resultantly, SAPS officers tend to be wary and/or untrusting of researchers. In the present study, we sought to understand how this climate of suspicion impacts policing research in South Africa. To do so, we employed a Foucauldian Discourse Analysis on emails leading up to a study with SAPS officers, and on the transcripts of three focus group discussions with SAPS officers. We identified three discursive strategies that SAPS employed: Security Stall (i.e. blocking research through bureaucratic procedure), Eliciting Sympathy (i.e. winning sympathy for the struggles of SAPS officers) and Undermining the Researcher Subjectivity (i.e. rendering legitimate knowledge on protest violence the sole product of police officers). These strategies destabilize police research while challenging the broader discursive terrain within which SAPS is located. We conclude by offering some insights for police research.

Item Type:	Article
Identification Number:	10.1093/police/paac079
Dates:	Date Event 28 August 2022 Accepted 6 December 2022 Published Online
Subjects:	CAH00 - multidisciplinary > CAH00-00 - multidisciplinary > CAH00-00-00 - multidisciplinary CAH04 - psychology > CAH04-01 - psychology > CAH04-01-05 - others in psychology CAH15 - social sciences > CAH15-01 - sociology, social policy and anthropology > CAH15-01-01 - social sciences (non-specific)
Divisions:	Life and Health Sciences > Psychology Law and Social Sciences > Criminology and Sociology > Criminology Law and Social Sciences > Criminology and Sociology > Sociology
Depositing User:	Josephine Cornell
Date Deposited:	05 Jul 2023 10:40
Last Modified:	04 Aug 2025 12:59
URI:	https://www.open-access.bcu.ac.uk/id/eprint/14546

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