Counter-Extremism and High Policing in Canada

This book presents an ethnographic account of the development of Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) practices in Quebec, Canada.

Drawing on seven years of ethnographic research, the book traces how the fight against “radicalization” moved beyond police and intelligence agencies to include teachers, social workers, and health professionals. This collaboration brought together social care and national security under the shared language of prevention and risk management. The book reveals how these new practices transformed what has been called “high policing,” turning it into a visible, everyday form of governance. It situates Quebec’s approach within global shifts toward neoliberal risk management and actuarial justice, showing how CVE redefined both social intervention and security work. Through vivid field notes and interviews, the work exposes the improvisation, competition, and ethical dilemmas that shaped the creation of Canada’s CVE sector. Spanning the years 2015–2022, this study provides a window into how national security is now made—and contested—at the local level, where the boundaries between care and control have never been more blurred.

This book will appeal to students of countering violent extremism and counter-terrorism studies, criminology, global security studies, and International Relations, as well as practitioners.