Radicalization into Violent Extremism I: A Review of Social Science Theories

[摘要] In discourse about countering terrorism, the term "radicalization" is widely used, but remains poorly defined. To focus narrowly on ideological radicalization risks implying that radical beliefs are a proxyor at least a necessary precursorfor terrorism, though we know this not to be true.Different pathways and mechanisms of terrorism involvement operate in different ways for different people at different points in time and perhaps in different contexts. This article explores the problems in defining radicalization and radicalism, and suggests that radicalizationand more specifically, involvement in terrorismmight best be viewed as a set of diverse processes. It goes on to review several potentially promising theories that might support further study of those processes, including social movement theory, social psychology, and conversion theory. Finally, it describes some possible frameworks for understanding how the processes might facilitate terrorism-related behavior.

[学科分类] 建筑学

[关键词] Al-Qaida;Counterterrorism;Islamic culture and politics;Radicalization;Religious violence;Terrorism / counterterrorism;Violent extremism