Contradictions in processes of deradicalisation

• Applicant: Jonatan Kurzwelly, Ph.D.
• Subject Area: Social and Cultural Anthropology and Ethnology
• Term: since 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 528853785

Prevention and deradicalisation of extremists constitute a pressing contemporary political and security issue which draws significant scholarly attention. A key aspect of radicalisation processes is an adherence to a seemingly coherent set of logical axioms and principles at the core of a particular world-view. In the process of deradicalization this sense of coherence is often disrupted through contradictions, doubt and dissonance. While a seemingly coherent adherence to an epistemic framework has been (usually implicitly) assumed in academic literature, the issue of contradictions has not been given explicit attention. Preliminary research suggests contradictions play a key role in disengagement and deradicalization of extremists. Contradictions are visible in life-stories of formerly radicalized people and in the psychological and pedagogical practice of professionals (explicitly so in the form of evoking emotional dissonance). This project aims to investigate such broadly understood contradictions understood as ideological assumptions and narratives based on logically contradicting axioms and on conflicting or otherwise incoherent motivations, demands and emotional impulses. Taking a multi-scalar perspective, this project examines psychological, behavioral, group, and wider social and societal appearances of contradictions and the ways in which they become apparent in deradicalization. It will allow for a better harnessing of the importance and functions of contradictions. This research will also have a strong applied potential, contributing to an understanding of how contradictions can be used in practice, aiding the creation of more precisely targeted interventions for disengagement, deradicalization and prevention.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants