The politics of identity: the roots of radicalization and home-grown terrorism amongst second and third generation immigrants in Europe

Public Deposited
Analytics

Downloadable Content

Download PDF
Request Version for Screen Reader
Last Modified
  • March 20, 2019
Creator
  • Holtgraves, Lindsey
    • Affiliation: College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Political Science
Abstract
  • Jihadi terrorism in Europe is a growing and ever-changing threat. Radicals embracing a militant brand of Islam were once an external threat, planning missions abroad before traveling to their Western targets. Jihadi terrorism has since evolved into an internal threat with the emergence of loose-knit homegrown terrorist organizations. Second and third generation immigrants have increasingly turned to militant Islam, radicalizing against the very society into which they were born and raised. This phenomenon is complex, stemming from an identity crisis in which second and third generation immigrants do not feel a sense of belonging to their European host societies, nor their ethnic countries of origin. Radical Islam provides a sense of dignity and purpose to youth that oftentimes feel marginalized and discriminated against. There they also find a badly needed sense of identity derived from the greater Islamic community and its fixed value system. Radicalization is a threat to social cohesion in Europe, and requires a nuanced and precise counter-terrorism policy that will increase trust and communication between groups.
Date of publication
DOI
Resource type
Rights statement
  • In Copyright
Note
  • ... in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Trans-Atlantic Masters in the Department of Political Science.
Advisor
  • Searing, Donald
Language

Relations

Parents:

This work has no parents.

Items

Thumbnail Title Date Uploaded Visibility Actions
file details 2019-04-10 Public Download