DEMOS

Rachel Briggs is Head of Demos' Identity Programme, which examines the growing importance of identity on the political agenda.

Her research focuses on identity politics, Muslim communities and the Islamic world, radicalisation and violent extremism.

She is currently running a two-year project with the ESRC, AHRC and British and Canadian governments exploring the relationship between violent and non-violent radicalisation which compares the UK with France, the Netherlands, Denmark and Canada. She has also just established a two-year project with the JRF in Bradford to explore housing and immigration in the city. Her other work covers community cohesion and the role of political dissent in enhancing democracy.

Rachel has written a number of reports, which have impacted on government and business policy, including, Bringing it Home: Community-based approaches to counter-terrorism; Cultural Diplomacy: The role of culture in international relations; The Business of Resilience: Corporate security for the 21st century; Joining Forces: From national security to networked security; The Unlikely Counter-Terrorists (ed); 16 Days: The role of the Olympic Truce in the toolkit for peace; Doing Business in a Dangerous World: Corporate personnel security in emerging markets, Travel Advice: Getting information to those who need it, The Kidnapping Business , Keeping Your People Safe, and Healthy Travel: Effective communication to improve travel health outcomes.

Rachel is an Associate Editor of Renewal journal, a Visiting Lecturer at Cranfield University and an advisor to the charity Hostage UK, whose chair is Terry Waite. She is a member of the Steering Group for the FCO Global Opportunity Fund’s Economic Governance programme, a member of the Advisory Council of Wilton Park (an agency of the FCO), and a member of the Council of The Risk and Security Management Forum (RSMF).

Rachel was formerly Head of International Strategy at Demos and Head of the Risk and Security Programme at The Foreign Policy Centre.

Assorted Articles
Viva la Revolucion! - An article in Renewal, November 2005, on the social revolution taking place in Spain

Towards a community-based approach to counter-terrorism in Rising East magazine, May 2006