The Jihadist: Collective Representations of an Emerging Identity in Street Culture

• In Event: NARRCRIM Panel 2 Narrative Criminology

Abstract

Over the last two decades, the social identity of the jihadist has become ingrained in street culture. Depictions of jihadists can be found in popular music, movies, and media reports. Propaganda celebrating or condemning jihadism circulates online. And a significant number of individuals with a background in street crime have flirted with or converted to jihadism. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork in Oslo, this paper examines how Muslims involved in street crime construct and relate to the identity of the jihadist. The Durkheimian concept of collective representations is applied and refined to show how the construction of identity affects the way people on the street understand themselves and their enemies and the actions they take toward jihadi extremism. In conclusion, the paper argues that the notion of collective representations should be incorporated into the analytical toolbox of narrative and cultural criminology.

Author

• Sébastien Tutenges, Lund University