Personal profile
Research interests
Leonie's research explores the intersections of discourse, identity, and political violence, with a particular focus on how racialised and gendered narratives shape understandings of terrorism, counterterrorism, and security. She is especially interested in how the gendered and racialised constructions of identities in Western political and media discourses inform policy, public perception, and lived experience.
Her work contributes to critical terrorism studies, feminist international relations, and critical security studies and she has published extensively on the representation of politically violent women, the securitisation of Muslim communities, and the ideological underpinnings of counterterrorism strategies.
She is an editor of the journal Critical Studies on Terrorism, leads the Critical Security and Foreign Policy Research Cluster at Northumbria University and convenes the North East Critical Security Network.
Biography
Leonie joined Northumbria University in May 2020 having previously worked as a senior lecturer at the University of Huddersfield.
She has published widely on the construction of terrorism and counterterrorism and is the author of three monographs, What is Counterterrorism For? (Bristol University Press, 2024), The Monstrous and the Vulnerable: Framing British ‘Jihadi Brides’ (Hurst/Oxford University Press, 2022) and Islamophobia in Britain (Palgrave 2018), and co-editor of 9/11 Twenty Years On (Routledge, 2023). Her work has been featured in leading journals such as Critical Studies on Terrorism, Terrorism and Political Violence and Cambridge Review of International Affairs, and has informed public debate through media appearances on BBC Radio 4 and international policy forums.
Leonie has held leadership roles in programme development, and her innovative teaching has been recognised by the Political Studies Association’s Sir Bernard Crick Prize for Outstanding Teaching.
Education/Academic qualification
International Politics, PhD
31 Aug 2015 → 31 Dec 2099
Award Date: 31 Aug 2015
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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SDG 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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The monstrous and the vulnerable: Framing British Jihadi Brides
Jackson, L., Dec 2021, La Vergne: Hurst & Co. 272 p.Research output: Book/Report › Book › peer-review
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What is Counterterrorism For?
Jackson, L. B., 26 Nov 2024, 1st ed. Bristol: Bristol University Press. 176 p. (What is it for?)Research output: Book/Report › Book › peer-review
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9/11 Twenty Years On: Critical Perspectives
Jackson, L. B. (Editor), Jarvis, L. (Editor) & Toros, H. (Editor), 22 May 2023, Abingdon: Routledge. 136 p.Research output: Book/Report › Book
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Islamophobia in Britain: The Making of a Muslim Enemy
Jackson, L., 2018, Palgrave Macmillan.Research output: Book/Report › Book
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Instrumentalising Islam: The religious soft power strategies of China, Russia, and the US
Mamedov, I. & Jackson, L., 22 Aug 2025, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Review of International Studies. p. 1-19 19 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile52 Downloads (Pure)
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‘Implementing intersectional feminist pedagogy to teach political violence while avoiding perpetuating harm
Jackson, L. (Speaker)
30 Apr 2025Activity: Talk or presentation › Invited talk
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‘Women and Gender in Islamic State'
Jackson, L. (Speaker)
30 Apr 2024Activity: Talk or presentation › Invited talk
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‘Saving 'vulnerable' Muslim girls: Gendered understandings of radicalisation’
Jackson, L. (Speaker)
22 Jun 2022Activity: Talk or presentation › Invited talk
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Teaching for the first time: Overcoming challenges and embracing innovative methods
Jackson, L. (Speaker)
30 Nov 2020Activity: Talk or presentation › Invited talk