El discurso antiterrorista oficial de China como herramienta de legitimación

Tesis Doctoral inédita leída en la Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Facultad de Filosofía y Letras, Departamento de Linguística, Lenguas Modernas, Lógica y Fª de la Ciencia y Tª de la Literatura y Literatura Comparada. Fecha de Lectura: 20-12-2022Given the transnational nature of the fourth wave of terrorism and its relationship with religious extremism, the United Nations has proposed since 2006 to strengthen efforts and international consensus to prevent violent extremism and international terrorism. The expansion of China's influence, as well as its increasingly evident implication in non-traditional global threats, raised questions regarding the possible impact of its measures against international terrorism. Therefore, In order to optimize the possibilities and efficiency of international cooperation in this matter, it is crucial to gain a better understanding of China's interpretation and reaction to the threat within its local context, and in accordance with its national priorities. The representation of terrorism in China is framed within a three-dimensional threat called the "Three Evil Forces" (composed of terrorism, separatism and extremism). In accordance with China's conceptualization and reaction to the threat, Critical Terrorism Studies is applied as a theoretical framework to explore its official discourse on terrorism as a legitimizing tool for the Communist Party of China (CPC), both at the national and international levels. In this regard, the conceptual framework responds to a study of the evolution of the main sources of Party legitimacy since the leadership of Mao Zedong. Starting from the theoretical knowledge gathered through the previous literature review, the Critical Terrorism Studies paradigm, and studies on legitimacy in China, the research proceeds with a holistic analysis of the official discourse. Through a synergistic quantitative (Corpus Linguistics) and qualitative (Critical Discourse Analysis) methodology, this thesis presents the main results of a detailed examination of two main sources: the official reports of the National Congresses of the Communist Party of China between 1992 and 2017; and the Xinjiang White Papers between 2002 and 2019. Overall, this research ultimately aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of China's official discourse on terrorism and its direct relationship to maintaining and promoting Party legitimacy as a top priorit