Syllabus
Week 1
Oct 5
The Radical Milieu of Terrorism: Groups, Movements, Networks and Lone Wolves
Required readings:
Stefan Malthaner and Peter Waldmann. 2014. The Radical Milieu: Conceptualizing the Supportive Social Environment of Terrorist Groups
OR watch the following short videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHo15RLTTJc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8lqEkGCLwo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vI20dfaNWMs
Week 2
Oct 12
The Role of Ideology in Contemporary Terrorism: Islamist and Right-wing
Case for a presentation: Islamic State or Far Right in Europe
Required readings:
Klein, Graig R.. 2016. Ideology Isn't Everything: Transnational Terrorism, Recruitment Incentives, and Attack Casualties, Terrorism and Political Violence, 28:5, 868-887
Jeppe, Fuglsang Larsen & Sune Qvotrup Jensen. 2021. Everyday Religion and Radical Islamism – A Contribution to Theorizing the Role of Religion in Radicalization Studies, Studies in Conflict & Terrorism
Terrorism 360: EP 13: ISIS and Religiously Inspired Terrorism: A Conversation with Jessica Stern: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-13-isis-and-religiously-inspired-terrorism/id1437270954?i=1000425584372
Recommended readings:
Roy, Olivier. 2017. Political Islam after the Arab Spring, Foreign Affairs, November/December 2017.
A.W. et al. 2013. Terrorism--a (self) love story: redirecting the significance quest can end violence, October 2013 American Psychologist 68(7):559-575
Week 3
Oct 19
Mobilizations Effect of Grievances in Terrorism
Case for a presentation: Ireland (IRA) and Palestine (IRGUN, LEHI)
Required readings:
Piazza, James A. 2006. Rooted in Poverty?: Terrorism, Poor Economic Development, and Social Cleavages, Terrorism and Political Violence, 18:1, 159-177
Schmid P. Alex. 2016. Links between Terrorism and Migration, International Centre for Counter-Terrorism the Hague (ICCT)
Recommended readings:
Berrebi Claude. 2007. ‘Poverty and Terrorism among Palestinians’, Peace Economics, Peace Science, and Public Policy, 2007, vol. 13, issue 1, 1-38
Alan B. Krueger and Jitka Malečková. 2003. Education, Poverty, and Terrorism: is there a causal connection?, Journal of Economic Perspectives, VOL. 17, NO. 4, Fall 2003 (119-144)
Week 4
Oct 26
Social Networks, Collective action, Collective Identities, Charismatic Leaders
Case for a presentation: The Red Brigades or ETA
Required readings:
Lorenzo Bosi and Donatella Della Porta. 2012. ‘Micro-mobilization into Armed Groups: Ideological, Instrumental and Solidaristic Paths’, December 2012, Qualitative Sociology
Clark McCauley & Sophia Moskalenko 2008 Mechanisms of Political Radicalization: Pathways Toward Terrorism
Ingram J. Haroro (2013) “The Charismatic Leadership Phenomenon in Radical and Militant Islamism” Chapter 1
Recommended readings:
Donatella Della Porta. 2008. Research on Social Movements and Political Violence
Dina Al Raffie. 2013. Social Identity Theory for Investigating Islamic Extremism in the Diaspora, Journal for Strategic Security Vol. 6 > No. 4 (2013)
Passy Florence. 2002. “Social Networks Matter. But How?” In ‘Social Movements and Networks: Relational Approaches to Collective Action Mario Diani and Doug McAdam’
Cristina Flesher Fominaya. 201. ‘Collective Identity in Social Movements: Central Concepts and Debates’
Ingram J. Haroro (2013) “The Charismatic Leadership Phenomenon in Radical and Militant Islamism” Chapter 2
Thomas Hegghammer. 2020. The Caravan Abdallah Azzam and the Rise of Global Jihad, Cambridge University Press, Chapter 3 The Fighter (47-65).
Tim Pat Coogan. 2002. Michael Collins: The Man Who Made Ireland
Bergen, Peter L. The Osama bin Laden I know: An oral history of al Qaeda's leader. Simon and Schuster, 2006.
Gottschling, Von André. "Biographisches Porträt: Andreas Baader." Jahrbuch Extremismus & Demokratie 16 (2004): 187-203.
Fisher, Marc. "Baader-Meinhof Gang Baader-Meinhof: The Inside Story of the RAF." Biography 32, no. 4. 2009. 924-925.
Cases to discuss in class: Osama Bin Laden (Al Qaeda), Michael Collins (IRA), Gudrun Ensslin & Andreas Baader (Red Army Faction).
Week 5
Nov 2
The Role of social media in terrorist propaganda. Cyber activism and cyber warriors. How to counter terrorist activities online?
Case for presentation: The Islamic State
Required readings:
Meili Crisis Create, Connect, and Deceive: Islamic State Supporters' Maintenance of the Virtual Caliphate Through Adaptation and Innovation
Jytte Klausen. 2015. Tweeting the Jihad: Social Media Networks of
Western Foreign Fighters in Syria and Iraq, Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, 38:1, 1-22.
‘Deepfake Doomsday’: The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Amplifying Apocalyptic Islamist Propaganda https://gnet-research.org/2023/08/29/deepfake-doomsday-the-role-of-artificial-intelligence-in-amplifying-apocalyptic-islamist-propaganda/
Towards a Policy Framework for Addressing Violent Conspiracy Theory Movements https://gnet-research.org/2023/09/07/towards-a-policy-framework-for-addressing-violent-conspiracy-theory-movements/
Recommended readings:
Adam Henschke. 2021. “Terrorism and the Internet of Things:Cyber-Terrorism as an Emergent Threat” in Henschke et. al. 2021. Ethics and Technology: Emerging challenges at the Frontiers of Counter Terrorism
Fainberg, Alisa. 2017. Spread the Word: Russia Social Media on the service of jihad
Whittaker Joe. 2021. The online behaviors of Islamic State terrorists in the United States
Edwards, Charlie and Gribbon Luke. 2013. ‘Pathways to Violent Extremism in the Digital Era
Online Jihadist Propaganda, Europol report 2020
Week 6
Nov 9
The Foreign Fighters Phenomenon: Recruitment Patterns
Case for presentation: Foreign fighters in the Afghan War or the Spanish Civil War
Required readings:
Coolsaet Rik. 2015. What drives Europeans to Syria, and to IS. Insights from the Belgian Case.
Sean C. Reynolds and Mohammed M. Hafez. 2017. Social Network Analysis of German Foreign Fighters in Syria and Iraq, Terrorism and Political Violence.
Koch Ariel. 2019. ‘The Non-Jihadi Foreign Fighters: Western Right-Wing and Left-Wing Extremists in Syria’.
Recommended readings:
Thomas Hegghammer. 2013. “Should I Stay or Should I Go? Explaining Variation in Western Jihadists' Choice between Domestic and Foreign Fighting”, American Political Science Review, 107(1), 1-15.
Malet David ‘The Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) in Foreign Fighters: Transnational Identity in Civic Conflicts
Legiec Arkadiusz 'Profiling Foreign Fighters in Eastern
Ukraine: A Theoretical Introduction', NATO Science for Peace and Security Series - E: Human and Societal Dynamics, Volume 134.
Dawson Lorne L. Comparative Analysis of the Data on Western Foreign Fighters in Syria and Iraq: Who Went and Why’, ICCT
Lorne L. Dawson & Amarnath Amarasingam. 2017. Talking to Foreign Fighters: Insights into the Motivations for Hijrah to Syria and Iraq
Malet David. 2015. Foreign Fighter Mobilization and Persistence in a Global Context.
Week 7
Nov 16
Framing and Narratives: Terorrists’ response to real-life events.
The discourse of Revolution and Defensive Mobilization
Case for presentation: Far Right in Europe
Requi
Annotation
Annotation
Welcome to our course, where we delve into the world of how terrorist groups and extremist movements come into existence and operate. Throughout this journey, you will explore a wide range of practices these groups employ, from the use of social media for propaganda to fundraising efforts and their responses to significant real-world events such as wars, elections, and pandemics.
We'll begin by examining the pivotal role that ideology, social networks, and grievances play in the process of terrorist mobilization. You'll gain insights into the inner workings of these groups, understanding why individuals choose to join them and how they become a part of these extremist movements. This knowledge is crucial when developing threat analyses and counter-extremism strategies for national and international organizations.
To equip you with the necessary tools for in-depth analysis, we will also dive into theories related to collective action, collective identity, charismatic leadership, and the political opportunities that facilitate the growth of terrorist organizations. These theories will empower you to critically assess and comprehend the dynamics at play within these groups.
Towards the conclusion of our course, our focus will shift to the strategies employed by states to counter violent extremism. We will explore disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration approaches, shedding light on how governments aim to bring individuals back into society and away from extremist influences.
As you embark on this academic journey, you will not only gain valuable knowledge but also develop a deeper understanding of the complex world of terrorism and extremism, equipping you with the insights needed to make informed assessments and contribute to countering these challenges effectively.
Week 1 (Oct 5) Introduction to the course + lecture: The Radical Milieu of Terrorism: Groups, Movements, Networks and Lone Wolves
Week 2 (Oct 12) Seminar: The Role of Ideology in Contemporary Terrorism: Islamist and Right-wing
Week 3 (Oct 19) Seminar: Mobilisation Effect of Grievances in Terrorism
Week 4 (Oct 26) Seminar: Social Networks, Collective action, and Collective Identities
Week 5 (Nov 2) Seminar: The Role of social media in terrorist propaganda. Cyber activism and cyber warriors. How to counter terrorist activities online?
Week 6 (Nov 9) Seminar: The Foreign Fighters Phenomenon: Recruitment Patterns
Week 7 (Nov 16) Seminar: Framing and Narratives: Terrorist responses to real-life events.
Week 8 (Nov 23) Seminar: Female mobilisation roles and patterns
Week 9 (Nov 30) Seminar: Charismatic Leaders, Leader-led vs. Leaderless Mobilisation, Political Parties and Terrorism
Week 10 (Dec 7)Seminar: Fundraising Campaigns as a Form of Mobilisation
Week 11 (Dec 14) Seminar: Disarmament, Demobilisation, and Reintegration Strategies in Countering Violent Extremism
Week 12 (Dec 11 or Nov 20) Movie screening