Dynamics of Radicalization : A Relational and Comparative Perspective

Eitan Y. Alimi

ISBN 10: 0199937729 / ISBN 13: 9780199937721

Published by OUP US, 2015

About this Item

nach der Bestellung gedruckt Neuware - Printed after ordering - Why is it that some social movements engaged in contentious politics experience radicalization whereas others do not The Dynamics of Radicalization offers an innovative reply by investigating how and when social movement organizations switch from a nonviolent mode of contention to a violent one. Moving beyond existing explanations that posit aggressive motivations, grievances or violence-prone ideologies, this book demonstrates how these factors gain and lose salience in the context of relational dynamics among various parties and actors involved in episodes of contention. Drawing on a comparative historical analysis of al-Qaeda, the Red Brigades, the Cypriot EOKA, the authors develop a relational, mechanism-based theory that advances our understanding of political violence in several important ways by identifying turning points in the radicalization process, similar mechanisms at work across each case, and the factors that drive or impede radicalization. The Dynamics of Radicalization offers a counterpoint to mainstream works on political violence, which often presume that political violence and terrorism is rooted in qualities intrinsic to or developed by groups considered to be radical.

Seller Inventory # 9780199937721

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Dynamics of Radicalization : A Relational and Comparative Perspective
• Publisher: OUP US
• Publication Date: 2015
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0199937729
• ISBN 13: 9780199937721
• Binding: Taschenbuch
• Condition: Neu
• Dimensions: 234W x 156H x 20D millimeters 234 millimeters width by 156 millimeters height by 20 millimeters depth
• Weight: 590 grams

About this title

Synopsis

Why is it that some social movements engaged in contentious politics experience radicalization whereas others do not? The Dynamics of Radicalization offers an innovative reply by investigating how and when social movement organizations switch from a nonviolent mode of contention to a violent one. Moving beyond existing explanations that posit aggressive motivations, grievances or violence-prone ideologies, this book demonstrates how these factors gain and lose salience in the context of relational dynamics among various parties and actors involved in episodes of contention. Drawing on a comparative historical analysis of al-Qaeda, the Red Brigades, the Cypriot EOKA, the authors develop a relational, mechanism-based theory that advances our understanding of political violence in several important ways by identifying turning points in the radicalization process, similar mechanisms at work across each case, and the factors that drive or impede radicalization. The Dynamics of Radicalization offers a counterpoint to mainstream works on political violence, which often presume that political violence and terrorism is rooted in qualities intrinsic to or developed by groups considered to be radical.

About the Author

Eitan Y. Alimi is Senior Lecturer of Political Sociology in the Department of Political Science at the Hebrew University and author of Israeli Politics and the First Palestinian Intifada.

Chares Demetriou is Assistant Professor at the National Research University, Higher School of Economics, Moscow.

Lorenzo Bosi is Assistant Professor at Scuola Normale Superiore, Italy.