Transitional Journeys Into and Out of Extremism. A Biographical Approach

Abstract

This article describes an empirical study into processes of homegrown radicalization and de-radicalization of young people. Researchers in Denmark and the Netherlands set out to answer the question regarding what pathways in and out of extremism (mainly far-right or Islamist) look like "from the inside." The analysis is informed by grounded theory, based on interviews (N D 34) with "formers" and their family members on their life courses. The study shows that radicalization often concurs with distinct social-emotional developmental challenges that young people face in the transition between youth and adulthood. A practical implication of the marked transitional sequences in these processes is that each type of radical journey may call for a different type of (re) action.What do pathways into and out of extremism look like based on accounts by former homegrown radicals and their families? Although many books and articles cover the problems of radicalization, extremism, and terrorism, 1 there is a lack of empirical studies on radicalization that start from the information by persons who hold or held radical violent views themselves and their relatives. Therefore, this study approached formers and their families in Denmark and the Netherlands to discuss their journey into and out of extremism. 2 Radicalization is understood by many as the process by which a person becomes increasingly hateful toward a part of society and anyone who defends the status quo. 3 It is a process by which people increasingly adopt more extreme attitudes and behavior that might involve approval of the use of violence by others or displaying this violence themselves to stimulate fear in the general population in an attempt to instigate changes in a society. Some scholars notice that no universally accepted definition exists, even though radicalization has been subjected to many scientific studies. 4 In order to account for the relative meaning of radicalization, the definition used in this research was based on existing definitions and on the conversations we had with our respondents. In this study, radicalization is considered to occur when a child or adolescent starts to develop political or religious ideas and agency that are

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