Syllabus
1) Introduction
2) Typology of violent non-state actors What are the violent non-state actors, how can we divide among them, problems with categorization of radical Islamist movements
3) Territoriality What territoriality and territory means, connection between territoriality and state, territoriality and non-state actors, evolution of political map
4) How to measure territoriality? Role of geography, demography and infrastructure, measurement through security/economy/identity
5) Territoriality of the global projects Al-Qaeda and Daesh
6) Islamism, nationalism and territory Hezbollah, Hamas, Taliban
7) Islamism, organized crime and territory Western Sahel and the Philippines
8) Islamism, state failure and territory Al-Shabaab and Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham
9) Islamism, harsh geography and territory Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, Islamic State in Greater Sahara, Islamic State in Libya
10) Islamism, divided societies and territory Boko Haram and Ansar al-Sunna (Mozambique)
11) Limits to territoriality of radical Islamist groups Affiliates of Daesh
12) Seminar - setting up an Islamist protostate
Annotation
The aim of the course is to present the territorial dimension of the radical Islamist groups around the world. Territorial control is in the 21st century mainly tied to the institution of the state.
Still, in many parts of the world, non-state actors are able to control or be significantly present on the territory as well. Radical Islamist groups present an ideologically coherent and very visible set of violent non-state actors.
This allows for a cross-regional analysis of the possible territorial settings of the non-state actors that is based on this sub-set. The course will present students with a possible way of analysing actors' territoriality and applying it to the radical Islamist groups to present different territorial settings worldwide.