McLaughlin, Gilbert and Robitaille, Christian (2021) Radicalization toward violent extremism: a typology based on a general theory of rationality. Behavioral Sciences of Terrorism and Political Aggression. pp. 1-23. ISSN 1943-4472
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Abstract
In the past twenty years, a persistent concern about the growing phenomenon of homegrown terrorism in the West has led researchers to study the radicalization process toward violent extremism. The potential link between ideology and behaviors is at the center of scientific debates. Some argue that adhesion to an ideology is not a necessary condition for political violence. According to this perspective, research should focus on the study of behaviors. Others argue that ideological aspects have an influence at every stage of engagement and that neglecting ideas would be a mistake in attempts at understanding radicalization. In this article, we contribute to that discussion by proposing a better way to understand the connection between ideology and behaviors. Using Raymond Boudon’s general theory of rationality, we argue that engagement in violent extremism is a complex combination of actions, decisions, attitudes, behaviors, and beliefs the understanding of which requires the use of a comprehensive sociological approach. Thus, we defend a theoretical perspective based on methodological individualism and we develop a general typology for radicalization processes based on this perspective. We also point out how this perspective differs from conventional rational choice theory and other theoretical perspectives used in the field of radicalization.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Additional Information and Comments: | This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Behavioral Sciences of Terrorism and Political Aggression on 30th November 2021, available online: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19434472.2021.2007979 |
| Faculty / Department: | Faculty of Business, Law and Criminology > School of Law and Criminology |
| Depositing User: | Gilbert McLaughlin |
| Date Deposited: | 21 Oct 2022 12:18 |
| Last Modified: | 01 Dec 2022 01:15 |
| URI: | https://hira.hope.ac.uk/id/eprint/3637 |
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