Trends in Researching Radicalization: Qualitative Enquiries into Identity and Belongingness

Abstract

In response to the disciplinary stocktaking, the proposed panel brings together contributions that should reinforce current trends in radicalization research in empirical, theoretical, and methodological regard. The panel includes papers based on unique primary data collected in offline and online fields that are analysed through reflexive interpretive methods, thus answering repeated calls for the use of qualitative methodological approaches in mapping the process of radicalization. The common theoretical denominator is the exploration of diverse facets of the concept of identity, oftentimes tied to our need to belong whose disruption is satisfied through engagement in violent extremism. The individual contributions discuss a wide range of under-researched empirical themes: engagement and disengagement dynamic among incels; links of the membership in martial arts and airsoft clubs, and football hooliganism to distinct species of violent extremism in the Western Balkans; investigation of the specifics of online belongingness in far-right online spaces; troubled identity and belonging of marginalized ethnic groups in Serbia as a radicalization risk factor; and finally the role of non-white identity as a source of failure to prevent mass shootings in the United States. By exploring the dimensions of identity and the need to belong, this panel aims to expand and refine the understanding of radicalization. The contributions shed light on the complex and nuanced process of radicalization, offering insights that can inform future research and policy development in the area of P/CVE.

Title	Details
Interviewing Current and Former Incels: Experiences, Life Events, Worldviews	View Paper Details
Sports as an Instrument of Extremism: Western Balkans Case Study	View Paper Details
More Than Meets the Reply: Examining Belonging in Far-Right Online Social Media Space	View Paper Details
Theorizing a Prototypical Community: Rethinking a Racialized Approach to Extremist and Mass Violence	View Paper Details
Risk of Romani Radicalization in the Balkans: Freeing the Shackles of a Filthy Identity	View Paper Details