Viewing jihadism as a counterculture: potential and limitations

Studies of Jihadism mostly focus on the violent and religio-political aspects of the phenomenon. The present article argues that by adding to these a countercultural perspective, we may become able to better grasp and make sense of Jihadism, not least because we can begin to see its violent and political aspects in their immediate social context. The article is based on lengthy fieldwork in Denmark and presents a first attempt at applying a combination of theories on cultic milieus and countercultures to the gallery of characters in and around three Danish terrorism cases.