Studying violent radicalization in Europe

When, why, and how do people living in a democracy become radicalized to the point of being willing to use or directly support the use of terrorist violence against civilians, and what can be done about it?

These questions have been at the center of both academic and public debate over the past years. Yet, there is still a scarcity of empirically based knowledge and no consensus with regard to which theories and approaches to apply to the study of violent radicalization and mobilization.

These two working papers explore the potential contribution of Social movement theory and socio-psychological approaches to throw light on the question of why and how violent radicalization occurs in Europe.