Langone, Mariela (A.A. 2019/2020) The role of ideology in the radicalization process. Tesi di Laurea in Sociology of terrorism, Luiss Guido Carli, relatore Alessandro Orsini, pp. 79. [Bachelor's Degree Thesis]

Preview

PDF (Full text) Download (1MB) | Preview

Abstract/Index

In the studies on terrorism and violence in their widest forms, there are two main positions on the role of ideology in the radicalization process. According to some scholars, ideology has a causal power in steering individuals towards extremist behaviours, while others argue that ideology is only used as a justification a-posteriori. This research takes as guideline Alessandro Orsini’s paper “What Everybody Should Know about Radicalization and the DRIA Model”1, published on the journal “Studies in Conflict and Terrorism”, which showcases all the masterpieces in the studies on radicalization. Drawing from this, the aim of the present research is to analyse different theories, among those cited by Orsini, with a particular focus on the importance that they attribute to ideology. His paper was particularly helpful in that it allowed me, in one glance, to have at hand all the most important works on radicalization. This has been a great advantage since the topic is highly disputed among the academic community and it would be easy to get lost in the research process. Terrorism scholars are mainly polarised around two stances. On the one hand, there are those who believe that individuals would not commit terrorist acts without a strong ideological commitment. In this sense, extremism is interpreted as the final stage of a cognitive opening process, which enables violent ideas and consequently behaviours to translate into action. On the other, there is the pole of scholars who consider other factors as the trigger for radicalization, as the individual’s background, social relations and group dynamics, family bonds and so forth. According to them, ideology is not the driving force of fundamentalism, but it is only used by terrorists to legitimise their extreme acts. The theories analysed in this research, which are among the milestones of the studies on terrorism, will be divided in two sections. The first gathers all the authors who attribute a secondary role to ideology, while the second reviews those who consider ideology to be the engine of radicalization. Furthermore, one last section will examine some of the theories applied to specific case studies that refer to real terrorists’ stories. In detail, the first chapter explores six theories of radicalization. Beginning with Fathali M. Moghaddam’s “Staircase to Terrorism”, the attention is immediately drawn to the psychological and social context that surrounds the individual and that may encourage him to embrace terrorism. According to Moghaddam, extremism is a direct consequence of social exclusion that, by fuelling anger and frustration, motivates the individual to undertake drastic actions. Carrying on, John Horgan considers terrorism a very complex phenomenon that cannot be reduced to a single cause, as for instance ideology, but that has to be understood in light of multiple factors. The third author mentioned, Quintan Wiktorowicz, addresses the problem of radicalization with a costs-benefits analysis. From his standpoint, adhering to a terrorist organization involves several risks and costs. In this sense, the losses must be compensated by some benefits, which Wiktorowicz identifies in the strong process of socialization between the organization and its members. Another scholar that has developed his theory around the concept of socialization is Marc Sageman. Drawing from the social network theory, Sageman claims that the radicalization process is grounded in group dynamics rather than ideology. His thesis is summarized in the bunch of guys theory, according to which the adherence to terrorist organizations is a “problem of who you know” instead of “what you believe in”. In 2011, Clark McCauley and Sophia Moskalenko published the book “Friction”, in which they deal with the complexity of the radicalization process by breaking it down into three levels (micro, meso and macro) and by identifying twelve mechanisms leading to extremism. The last author cited is Donatella della Porta, who also distinguishes three levels of radicalization (micro, meso and macro). Her analysis concludes that individuals who get involved in violent movements are not only moved by pre-existing conditions, but they also develop new motivations along the pathway. The second chapter examines three models of radicalization which focus on the role of ideology as the driving factor. Although all the authors analysed recognise that also socialization processes are important for the purpose of terrorism, they argue that without a strong ideological commitment it would not be possible to move from a stage of cognitive radicalization to one of violent radicalization. Starting from Mitchell Silber and Arvin Bhatt, their model consists in four phases: Pre-radicalization, Self-identification, Indoctrination and Jihadization. Carrying on, the other studies analysed are Orsini’s DRIA model and Arie Kruglanski, Jocelyn Bélanger and Rohan Gunaratna’s theory of the “3Ns”, namely Need, Narrative and Network. Lastly, the third chapter applies the three models described in the former section to real terrorists’ cases. Silber and Bhatt’s study will be examined with reference to Mohammed Bouyeri, the responsible for the murder of a Dutch filmmaker named Theo Van Gogh. Orsini’s model will be applied to the cases of Michael Bibeau and Mohammed Merah, two terrorists coming from different backgrounds, whose radicalization pathways both find an explanation in the DRIA model. Finally, Kruglanski, Bélanger and Gunaratna’s 3Ns theory will investigate the Tsarnaev brothers, the perpetrators of the attack at the Boston marathon in April 2013.

References

Bibliografia: pp. 71-73.

Thesis Type:	Bachelor's Degree Thesis
Institution:	Luiss Guido Carli
Degree Program:	Bachelor's Degree Programs > Bachelor's Degree Program in Political Science (L36)
Chair:	Sociology of terrorism
Thesis Supervisor:	Orsini, Alessandro
Academic Year:	2019/2020
Session:	Summer
Deposited by:	Maria Teresa Nisticò
Date Deposited:	18 Sep 2020 07:43
Last Modified:	29 Sep 2020 12:55
URI:	https://tesi.luiss.it/id/eprint/27141

Downloads

Repository Staff Only

View Item