Proximization: A Threat-Based Model of Policy Legitimization

This chapter outlines the main tenets of Proximization Theory (PT). It defines proximization as a discursive strategy of presenting the apparently remote events and ideologies as increasingly consequential to the speaker and her addressee. Working with examples from the discourse of the War on Terror, it reveals how threatening visions are invoked to obtain legitimization of preventive actions and policies. The chapter proposes that the success of PT in describing legitimization patterns in state political discourse warrants its extended application to other discourses in the public domain.