An Examination of Radicalization Scholarship

• In Event: Terrorism and Beyond

Abstract

Radicalization is a source of enormous human suffering and represents a significant social problem. To be able to fully understand the radicalization phenomenon we need to be able to know how radicalization is being studied. To understand or explain radicalization it is important to take several factors into consideration. First, only the most problematic issues of the current time are given substantial attention. The study of radicalization did not begin with the September 11th terrorist attacks but increased due to the concern of national and domestic security. Second, the view and direction of the attention to radicalization scholarship is highly dependent on the individual scholar, current crisis, and political climate (Merton, 1972). One major question drives the current examination: What is the current status of radicalization as a scientific concept? To answer this question the purpose of this inquiry is to analyze radicalization scholarship.

Author

• Hillary McNeel, University of Nebraska at Omaha