CIAO DATE: 02/2009
January 2009
Danish Institute for International Studies
Why do some young European men of Muslim faith, who have lived all or most of their lives in democratic societies, choose to give up their seemingly well-integrated, normal lives in order to follow the call for Jihad? And what is the role of culture and language in that process? Questions such as these have inspired terrorism researchers to look for cultural- or ideology-related explanations. Cultural theories applied to the study of violent radicalisation and Islamist militancy primarily focus on socio-cultural explanatory factors when explaining why certain European Muslim youths adhere to commit terrorist activities. These factors range from integration problems, feelings of humiliation and their understanding of the world, i.e. their worldviews, perceptions and others.
Resource link: A Linguistic Turn of Terrorism Studies [PDF] - 625K